| Summary: |
Research on how and what higher education students learn, and the effect it has on them, has drawn attention to the need to think of learning as the outcome of a range of interacting variables These include individual characteristics of learners, their past experiences in education, and the quality of the pedagogy exposed to (Entwistle, 1995). Nevertheless, what universities usually pride themselves on is a transformation by learners of the knowledge presented. This transformative learning relates to the ability of the student to make personal sense of the information given; a process which very often changes him or her as a person. Despite such underlying rhetoric, little information exists on how students learn what they learn, in addition to where and why they learn it. This is particularly so in a relatively new academic field like sports coaching, which, despite a limited subsequent labour market, continues to attract considerable student numbers (Bush, 2008).
The general purpose of this study is to map the intellectual and social development of under-graduate sports coaching students in an academic context (University of Oporto, Faculty of Sport). This will be addressed in two principal ways. Firstly, by exploring students' perceptions and experiences of the sports coaching under-graduate degree enrolled upon; and secondly, by examining how these experiences shape students' identities over the length of the given three-year course. The principal significance of the project rests on the assumption that research on student learning has much to offer assessment of quality pedagogy (Entwistle, 2000). This is not only in terms of what we teach students, but also how and why. As O'Sullivan (2007) suggest, there is a responsibility among sport pedagogy researchers to enrich the body of knowledge in the field. The project can also be seen as a response to McEwen's (1996) call for more temporal research into student identity development. Thi  |
Summary
Research on how and what higher education students learn, and the effect it has on them, has drawn attention to the need to think of learning as the outcome of a range of interacting variables These include individual characteristics of learners, their past experiences in education, and the quality of the pedagogy exposed to (Entwistle, 1995). Nevertheless, what universities usually pride themselves on is a transformation by learners of the knowledge presented. This transformative learning relates to the ability of the student to make personal sense of the information given; a process which very often changes him or her as a person. Despite such underlying rhetoric, little information exists on how students learn what they learn, in addition to where and why they learn it. This is particularly so in a relatively new academic field like sports coaching, which, despite a limited subsequent labour market, continues to attract considerable student numbers (Bush, 2008).
The general purpose of this study is to map the intellectual and social development of under-graduate sports coaching students in an academic context (University of Oporto, Faculty of Sport). This will be addressed in two principal ways. Firstly, by exploring students' perceptions and experiences of the sports coaching under-graduate degree enrolled upon; and secondly, by examining how these experiences shape students' identities over the length of the given three-year course. The principal significance of the project rests on the assumption that research on student learning has much to offer assessment of quality pedagogy (Entwistle, 2000). This is not only in terms of what we teach students, but also how and why. As O'Sullivan (2007) suggest, there is a responsibility among sport pedagogy researchers to enrich the body of knowledge in the field. The project can also be seen as a response to McEwen's (1996) call for more temporal research into student identity development. This relates to paying more attention to the practices, people and communities that serve as the catalysts of identity formation and become part of who weare (Wenger, 2010). Finally, the project is related to Jones's (2009) call to focus less on what and how to coach, and more so on 'who is coaching'. Such an area (i.e., the personal, idiosyncratic nature of coaching) has suffered from considerable neglect, despite recognition that a coach is much more than a content expert and systematic method applier (Jones & Turner, 2006). Consequently, exploring how students make sense of their undergraduate sports coaching experiences in terms of shaping their individual identities to become who they are appears crucial in terms of their subsequent potential careers as coaches, managers and teachers.
The aims of the study will be addressed through a range of qualitative methods within a broad ethnographic framework. Specifically, 3 principal methods will be used: individual reflective logs, video diaries, and focus group interviews. Each participant will be required to keep a reflective log over the life of the project. The emphasis here, as opposed to merely recording events, will be on reflection upon personal experiences. Each participant will also be required to keep a video diary during the project, which is often considered a way for participants to frame and represent their own lives; enabling them to tell their own stories. Semi-structured group interviews will also be conducted at regular interviews with the participants. The central purpose of the interviews will be elicit participants' perceptions of the |