Examination of the professional judgement and decision-making of strength and conditioning coaches

Abstract

Athletic coaching is a complex profession, and coaches must perform a wide range of tasks in a variety of environments. In high-performance sporting environments, strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) must fulfil a variety of roles that are growing in importance. Despite a recent broadening of the scope of SCC research beyond their knowledge, practical skills, experiences, and training preferences, a lack of attention continues to be paid to the professional judgement and decision-making (PJDM) of SCCs. First, in recognition of this lacuna in research, this thesis examined the thought processes of SCCs who possessed varying levels of experience and analysed the rationales that informed their approaches. Second, this thesis constructed and tested an intervention using the empirical findings of earlier investigations to enhance the PJDM of SCCs. This qualitative study employed a constructivist paradigm and was based on relativist ontology and interpretivist epistemology. The initial research used applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA) to examine the respective decision-making processes of participants who were engaged in training programme design and difficult common tasks. These studies, together with a focus group approach, used reflective thematic analysis (RTA) to engage with data sets and identify new patterns of meaning. The results indicated that the roles of SCCs require them to apply their theoretical knowledge and practical experiences to a wide range of tasks. An indication of the cognitive demands associated with these tasks were also generated as a consequence of the ACTA.

Furthermore, clear contrasts in the PJDM of high-level and early-career SCCs were discussed. The analysis of the focus group results was used to construct a revised model of thinking processes regarding training programme design. Crucially, this stage of the analysis identified the variables of context, collaboration, and communication as providing depth and breadth to the perceived impact of each proposed stage of the training programme design process. Considering the difficult situations that must be managed within strength and conditioning (S&C) environments, the following three themes were identified as having the strongest impact on SCCs’ decision-making processes: situational awareness, improvisation, and metacognition. Both the ACTA and cognitive apprenticeship (CA) research enabled this study to make a unique contribution to the literature, as it provided empirical findings on the PJDM of SCCs with both high and low levels of experience. The application of a constructivist philosophy to the design and implementation of online S&C learning materials constitutes a novel contribution to existing traditional strategies for SCC preparation in the workplace. This CA study provides valuable preliminary findings that can be used by educators in the field to produce authentic, relevant materials for those aspiring to work in the S&C sector. Throughout this thesis, a case was developed that demonstrates the importance of experience for SCCs of all levels to be able to evaluate their thought processes and overall S&C coaching performance. Lastly, a platform for future research to build on was constructed.