TY - JOUR
T1 - From the Athletes’ Perspective
T2 - A Social-Relational Understanding of How Coaches Shape the Disability Sport Experience
AU - Allan, Veronica
AU - Blair Evans, M.
AU - Latimer-Cheung, Amy E.
AU - Côté, Jean
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Coaching Association of Canada [Grant #2015-001] and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), including SSHRC Insight [Grant #435-2014-0038], SSHRC Partnership [Grant #895-2013-1021], and a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship [Award #767-2015-1633].
Publisher Copyright:
©, Copyright © Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
PY - 2020/11/1
Y1 - 2020/11/1
N2 - The purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ perceptions of how coaches shaped their experiences in disability sport throughout development. Athletes with physical disabilities (N = 21) participated in life history interviews. Participants outlined their sport history and responded to questions targeting the roles that coaches played in their development, which laid the foundation for broader conversations about how coaches shaped the disability sport experience. Using thematic analysis, patterns in coach knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors were captured in 4 themes. Three themes were discussed in relation to positive experiences in disability sport (consideration, collaboration, professionalism), and 1 theme was related to negative disability sport experiences (prejudice). The findings of this work are analyzed through the lens of the social-relational model of disability, thus challenging the dominant discourse that underpins understandings of (dis)ability in the sport context. Practical recommendations for disability sport coaches include reflective practice and introspective examination of implicit biases and assumptions, as well as a focus on interpersonal skills that assist coaches in collaborating with athletes—thus encouraging the integration of sport- and disability-specific knowledge. Lay Summary Athletes with physical disabilities were interviewed about how coaches shaped their experiences in sport over time. Differences in how coaches created positive experiences were identified at each stage of development, reflecting varied combinations of knowledge and behaviors. Negative experiences stemmed from perceptions of unfair treatment and inequality.
AB - The purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ perceptions of how coaches shaped their experiences in disability sport throughout development. Athletes with physical disabilities (N = 21) participated in life history interviews. Participants outlined their sport history and responded to questions targeting the roles that coaches played in their development, which laid the foundation for broader conversations about how coaches shaped the disability sport experience. Using thematic analysis, patterns in coach knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors were captured in 4 themes. Three themes were discussed in relation to positive experiences in disability sport (consideration, collaboration, professionalism), and 1 theme was related to negative disability sport experiences (prejudice). The findings of this work are analyzed through the lens of the social-relational model of disability, thus challenging the dominant discourse that underpins understandings of (dis)ability in the sport context. Practical recommendations for disability sport coaches include reflective practice and introspective examination of implicit biases and assumptions, as well as a focus on interpersonal skills that assist coaches in collaborating with athletes—thus encouraging the integration of sport- and disability-specific knowledge. Lay Summary Athletes with physical disabilities were interviewed about how coaches shaped their experiences in sport over time. Differences in how coaches created positive experiences were identified at each stage of development, reflecting varied combinations of knowledge and behaviors. Negative experiences stemmed from perceptions of unfair treatment and inequality.
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U2 - 10.1080/10413200.2019.1587551
DO - 10.1080/10413200.2019.1587551
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85065084119
SN - 1041-3200
VL - 32
SP - 546
EP - 564
JO - Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
JF - Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
IS - 6
ER -