Research Methods in Sports Coaching

Dr Lee Nelson is a Lecturer in the Department of Sport, Health, and Exercise Science at the University of Hull, UK. His research and teaching interests include micro-politics, emotions, and pedagogy in coaching and coach education contexts. Dr Ryan Groom is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His main teaching and research interests focus on qualitative research methodologies and social theory to explore power, identity and interaction.Paul Potrac is a Professor of Sports Coaching at Edge Hill University, UK. His research and teaching interests focus on exploring the social complexity of sports coaching and coach education, with a particular emphasis on the political and emotional nature of practice.

• 1. Introduction, Lee Nelson, Ryan Groom, and Paul Potrac Section 1: Philosophical considerations 2. Philosophy of knowledge, Clifford Mallett and Richard Tinning 3. Logical positivism, Ronald Smith and Frank Smoll 4. Interpretivism, Paul Potrac, Robyn Jones, and Lee Nelson 5. Poststructuralism, Zoë Avner, Luke Jones, and Jim Denison Section 2: Preparing and initiating the research process 6. Navigating the research process, Wade Gilbert, Martin Camiré, and Diane Culver 7. Reviewing the literature, John Lyle 8. The place of theory, Lee Nelson, Ryan Groom, and Paul Potrac 9. Writing and representing research, Ryan Groom, Lee Nelson, Paul Potrac, and Brett Smith 10. Ethical considerations, Graham McFee Section 3: Quantitative approaches to coaching research 11. Questionnaires, Daniel Rhind, Louise Davis, and Sophia Jowett 12. Systematic observation, Gareth Morgan, Bob Muir, and Andy Abraham 13. Analysis of quantitative data, Adrian Midgley and Bryna Chrismas 14. Judging quantitative research, John Toner and Aidan Moran Section 4: Qualitative approaches to coaching research 15. Interviews, Laura Purdy 16. Ethnography, Christopher Cushion 17. Analysis of qualitative data, William Taylor 18. Judging qualitative research, Brett Smith, Andrew Sparkes, and Nick Caddick Section 5: Contemporary approaches to coaching research 19. Autoethnography, Brian Gearity 20. Discourse analysis, Joseph Mills and Jim Denison 21. Conversation analysis, Ryan Groom, Lee Nelson, Paul Potrac, and Christopher Cushion, Section 6: Disseminating coaching research 22. Presenting research, Phil Marshall 23. Publishing research, Pierre Trudel, Diane Culver, and Wade Gilbert

'An excellent and worthwhile addition to the existing texts within sports coaching as it fills a much-needed gap. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in particular should find the text of considerable relevance and use throughout their studies. This is because it takes challenging research concepts and relates them to work done in coaching. For coaching researchers, I see this book as a teaching aide for supervising students' dissertations and contributing to classes with a research element." - Ed Cope, Sports Coaching Review."I highly recommend those who hold the supervisor position of students conducting sports-related research to read these pages. There is a lot to be learned from Gilbert’s reflections from the field here."- Anne Tjønndal, Faculty of Social Science, Nord University, idrottsforum.org.