1. Dr Anna Stodter FST Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences
How critical reflection develops in an online distance learning community of sports coaching students
Dr Anna Stodter
FST Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences

4. Effective coaches

5. Effective coaches Coaching contexts Athlete outcomes Knowledge
Professional
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal (reflection)
‘Good’ coaches translate experience into knowledge and skills via reflection
(Côté & Gilbert, 2009)

6. Effective coaches The ability to reflect on practice is challenging
Limited evidence to guide practice
‘Reflective conversations’ may be a key mechanism
(Gilbert & Trudel, 2001; Stodter & Cushion, 2017)

7. Theoretical Framework
Identify Issue
Generate strategies
Try out
Evaluate
(Gilbert & Trudel, 2001; Stodter & Cushion, 2017)

8. The study
The purpose of the project is to provide a coaching-specific theory based structure and support for reflective practice and evaluate its effectiveness for learning by tracking ‘reflective conversations’ across a module.
The aim is to investigate how student coaches’ ability to reflect critically on their coaching practice develops over the course of a 12-week period of online distance learning.
The outcome is the provision of qualitative data on how theory- led reflective skill development can be initiated, supported and sustained in this particular online distance learning context, to enhance future evidence-based provision and learning gain.

9. Method 2016-17 and 2017-18 module cohorts (N = 15, N = 20)
Module delivery and assessment designed around theoretical framework of reflection
Identify coaching issue, video, 4 x reflective tasks relating to issue
Regular ‘reflective conversations’ with tutor (recorded & transcribed x 21)
Follow-up interviews (N = 4) and four focus groups (N = 10)
Thematic analysis – theory/data interplay
Reflective conversation as the method of action research – interviews with each of the coaches

10. Findings – what? 1. Conceptualising reflection
“Where you said about my reflections needing to show greater depth I wasn’t sure what this might look like... I think that is what I have been finding really difficult because it is not something I really ask myself or really know how I would know this”
“the reflection tools I have learnt on the course have helped me in how I work with players and how I work with the coaches who work with players. A lot of what I do now that I didn’t do before the module is questioning of myself”
Difficulties / misunderstandings
a systematic process – e.g. ‘diagnosis’

11. Findings Findings – what? 2. Self-awareness and meta-reflection
“I learnt more from doing that...the need for reflections. A lot of the reflections I was doing were very superficial and I thought to myself what’s the point in it in need of reflection and that’s when I identified that there was actually a point to it”
“I didn’t know I neglected it until I did the module”

12. Findings – what? Findings 3. A lasting change?
“I’d coach and I’d reflect but really I’d just be like - that was awful, what have I done, but now it might be a case of – why was that awful, how can I fix it, how can I get better for next session – or, that was good, can I still develop that bit more. It’s just putting extra layers on top of what I already knew. It’s just made it better because now I know more about it and I’ve had experience that actually it does work” (L5)

13. Findings – how? 4. Theoretical support
“I definitely think it is helpful to bring that in. To actually have a process and model to reflect it is quite good. It is quite fun to learn and what I do not think should be underestimated is the fact that you can adapt that model to suit yourself because I think individuality is quite important”
“Initially it was going through the process of identifying a specific problem. This really helped focus my mind”
Individual differences here – e.g. firefighter with previous experience of doing this
link to understanding of reflection, anti-intellectualism

14. Findings – how? 5. The tutor
“Sometimes you can feel isolated even though people like yourself are on the end of an it is just not that personal, it is not that human connection it is electronic, so having that person to talk to that is aware of what you are going through is quite nice because you can feel isolated.”
“You can pick up on the way Ed talks and again it is that coaching style he uses, so going back to the full time occupation it is asking those questions in a prompting, right way. Used a lot of open questions rather than closed questions. Allowing people to talk.”

15. Module Feedback
Module Mean Mark 36 59 45

16. Conclusions Help students to understand what reflection is
Theory can be helpful in designing an effective module – ‘what works’?
Tutor - skills and personal ‘human’ relationship – is key
Room for improvement – based on evidence!

17. Stodter & Cushion (2017)
Focus on reflection process – my research found this was often a tacit process but can we make this more explicit / facilitate it?