In response to the ongoing policy drive in the UK to improve the skills level of the early years (EY) workforce, raise the quality of early years education (EYE), and reduce the disadvantage gap for young children, a systematic review was conducted on approaches to professional learning and development (PDL) that report impact on outcomes for…

Initial research into the use of Emotion Coaching (EC) in educational settings has suggested that it can support social and emotional development, and promote positive relationships and behaviour. This research used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the factors which impact on the implementation of EC. The views of 40 staff across six…

This paper presents a mixed-method investigation of client's perceptions of a good adventure sports coach. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically, and the findings used to inform a subsequent larger survey that sought to verify the importance of the themes identified in the interviews. The findings draw an alignment between the…

Between June 2018 and November 2020, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) conducted an evaluation of the Tailored Support Programme (TSP) on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE). The aim of the evaluation was to explore perceptions of the TSP and, in particular, gather data on: reasons for engagement; what was delivered;…

Coach education research has focused on studying coaches' perspectives about coach education programmes with limited studies investigating the practices of other key stakeholders involved in programme design and delivery (e.g. managers, educators). The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactions and practices of coaches, coach…

In terms of best practice, the debate concerning SEN and disability sports coaching continues to be a contested area that many believe warrants further investigation (Townsend, Smith, and Cushion, 2015). Alongside this, higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK continue to develop courses for sports coaches that emphasise reflection as a key…

From grassroots to mega-event level, the sport sector has long-relied on volunteers to function effectively. While the nature of sport volunteering varies, scholars have identified that volunteerism is built around characteristics (e.g. altruism, civic participation, acquisition of social capital, personal and professional development) that draw…

There has been increased interest in recent years regarding the utility of imported universal prevention and promotion (P&P) programmes in UK schools, many of which have a coaching model attached. However, there have been relatively few studies exploring the cultural transferability and social validity of these models, even though evidence…

Contemporary learning and development models have identified parkour-style training as a vehicle for athlete enrichment. However, perceptions of team-sport coaches and their receptiveness to such models of athlete enrichment have not been investigated and remain unclear. To explore how parkour-style training could be integrated into athlete…

Background: We present a unique study of adventure sports coaches teaching lead climbing. Expanding existing work on judgement and decision making, we examine the coaching process and the decision making employed to manage the pedagogical and security needs of climbers when they are being introduced to lead climbing. Research design and data…

This paper contributes to understanding the power of participating in work-based doctoral research after a fulltime career. It explores ways in which active older people choose to participate in "creative dance" activities and how this may benefit them. It draws upon the first author's experiences in using her leadership, management,…

We explore the professional identities of UK-based secondary science teachers who actively participated in science research for at least six months. The study uses thematic analysis to analyse semi-structured interviews with 17 participants across England and Scotland, from a variety of educational/socio-economic contexts. We found that through…

This paper examines the coaching behaviours of different paddlesport coaches (n = 17). A sample of coaches specialising in non-competitive paddlesport from professional, club and educational contexts are examined utilising a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. The three groups are shown to share common aspect such the importance of…

Persistent school non-attendance (PSNA) is a widely acknowledged problem. Family coaches work intensively with families where a child or young person (CYP) has persistently poor or no school attendance and there is unemployment or anti-social behaviour. Their work extends across different systems, which gives them a unique, multi-factored…

This paper explores supervisor development in the light of information generated by the Erasmus-funded project on the modern doctorate. It is structured in four phases. Firstly examining interview data to isolate some distinguishing features of the modern doctorate. Secondly re-examining that data to see if these distinguishing features can be…