/ Tilbake

TI200 Sports Coaching 1: Coaching children and youth (10 ECTS) 

Course facts

Course code
TI200
Course title
Sports Coaching 1: Coaching children and youth
ECTS
10 ECTS
Semester
Fall
Course language
English
Academic responsible
Siv Gjesdal

Introduction

The course is an introduction to coaching children and youth with a special emphasis on barriers and opportunities for sports participation and development. The course will give the students a theoretical understanding of the psycho-social processes underpinning development and learning in order to inform a pedagogical basis for their involvement in youth sport contexts. The focus will be on sociocultural and psycho-social perspectives on athlete development and coaching.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students should be able to

  • critically evaluate systems of athlete and talent development in children and youth sport settings.
  • reflect upon how the context shape and enable sport activities for children and youth.
  • identify the potential outcomes of sport participation for children and youths and explain how these can be achieved.
  • consider aspects related to maturation, psycho-social and motivational aspects when designing sport activities for children and youths.
  • describe patterns of youth sport participation, particularly within the sport context in Norway.
  • discuss the experience of marginalized groups in sports coaching and athlete development, such as athletes with disabilities and immigrant girls.

Learning styles and activities

The structure of the course will be a combination of preparation for and participation in lectures and discussions (120 hours, including 40 hours of lectures), individual and group assignments (110 hours), and seminar activities including student presentations (20 hours).

Mandatory assignment

In order to be permitted to do the final exam, students must pass three individual written assignments.

  • The first two have a 500-word limit, excluding references, 12 p Times New Roman, double line spacing, APA-standard of referencing.
  • The final one is a group assignment, with a 3500-word limit, excluding references, 12 p Times New Roman, double line spacing, APA-standard of referencing.

Papers that exceed the word limit or does not follow the guidelines for formatting or referencing will not be evaluated. The assignments must be submitted in a pdf-format in Canvas at the given date and time. 

Assessment

One week individual written assignment. Grading (A-F).

  • 2500-word limit, excluding references, 12 p Times New Roman, double line spacing, APA-standard of referencing.

Core material

NB! To open electronic articles off campus, you need to use the following VPN connection: Click here to download.

1. The Norwegian youth sport context:
Green, K. (2016). Youth sport in Norway. In K. Green & A. Smith (Eds.), Routledge handbook of youth sport (pp. 72-83). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Strandbu, Å., Bakken, A., & Stefansen, K. (2020). The continued importance of family sport culture for sport participation during the teenage years. Sport, Education and Society, 25(8), 931-945. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1676221
* Available online: Click here to download.

2. Coaching children: Developmental considerations:
Fraser-Thomas, J., & Harlow, M. (2023). Developmental considerations for coaching preschooler sport. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 27-39). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Rongen, F., Cowburn, I., Lara-Bercial, S., Mitchell, T. & Piggott, D. (2023). Psycho-social maturation and the implications for coaching children. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 274-283). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Kelly, A.L. & Turnidge, J. (2023). Group banding strategies in children’s organized sport: looking beyong fixed chronoloigacal age. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 303-313). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

3. Coaching culturally diverse youths:
McDonald, B. (2023). “I treat every player equally”: Coaching culturally diverse children in sport. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 335-344). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Gjesdal, S., & Hedenborg, S. (2021). Engaging minority girls in organized youth sport in Norway: A case study of a project that worked. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3,374. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.781142
* Available online: Click here to download.

4. Coaching para athletes:
Alexander, D., & Bloom, G. A. (2020). Coaching athletes with a disability. In D. Hackfort & R. J. Schinke (Eds.), The Routledge international encyclopedia of sport and exercise psychology: Vol. 2. Applied and practical measures (pp. 166-176). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Alexander, D., Bloom, G. A., & Taylor, S. L. (2020). Female paralympic athlete views of effective and ineffective coaching practices. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 32(1), 48-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2018.1543735
* Available online: Click here to download.

5. Safeguarding – protecting children in sport:
Lang, M., & Purdy, L.G. (2023). Child’s play? Safeguarding and protecting children in sport. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 195-203). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Kerr, G., Battaglia, A., & Stirling, A. (2019). Maltreatment in youth sport: A systemic issue. Kinesiology Review, 8(3), 237-243. https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2019-0016
* Available online: Click here to download.

6. Motivation – using theories in practice:
Nicholls, A. R. (2022). Psycholgy in sports coaching, theory and practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Pages 154-170.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Visek, A. J., Mannix, H., Mann, D. & Jones, C. (2018). Integrating fun in young athletes’ sport experiences. In C. J. Knight, C. G. Harwood & D. Gould (Eds.), Sport pscyhology for young athletes (pp. 68-80). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

7. Talent development systems and coaching elite junior athletes:
Bailey, R., Toms, M., Collins, D., Ford, P., Macnamara, A. & Pearce, G. (2011). Models of young player development in sport. In I. Stafford (Ed.), Coaching children in sport (pp. 38-56). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Bjørndal, C. T., & Ronglan, L. T. (2020). Athlete development in Norwegian handball. In J. Baker, S. Cobley, & J. Schorer (Eds.), Talent identification and development in sport (2nd ed., pp. 101-114). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

8. Talent identification and selection:
Johnston, K., Wattie, N. & Baker, J. (2023). Digging for diamonds? The abstract and questionable nature of talent identification in children’s sport. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 250-259). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Baker, J., Schorer, J., & Wattie, N. (2018). Compromising talent: Issues in identifying and selecting talent in sport. Quest, 70(1), 48-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2017.1333438
* Available online: Click here to download.

9. Deselection: the role of the coach:
Neely, K. C. ,& Dugdale, J. H. (2023). Making the cut: Coaching and the deselection of young athletes. In M. Toms & R. Jeanes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of coaching children in sport (pp. 175-183). Routledge.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(Cleared through BOLK 23. / The library - AGG)

Wilkinson, R. J. (2021). A literature review exploring the mental health issues in academy football players following career termination due to deselection or injury and how counselling could support future players. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(4), 859-868. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12417
* Available online: Click here to download.

McGlinchey, T. R., Saward, C., Healy, L. C., & Sarkar, M. (2022). “From everything to nothing in a split second”: Elite youth players' experiences of release from professional football academies. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 941482. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.941482
* Available online: Click here to download.

10. Drop out – and the coaching climate:
Bentzen, M., Hordvik, M., Stenersen, M. H., & Solstad, B. E. (2021). A longitudinal transitional perspective on why adolescents choose to quit organized sport in Norway. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 56, 102015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102015
* Available online: Click here to download.

Espedalen, L. E., & Seippel, Ø. (2022). Dropout and social inequality: Young people’s reasons for leaving organized sports. Annals of Leisure Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2022.2070512
* Available online: Click here to download.

Persson, M., Espedalen, L. E., Stefansen, K., & Strandbu, Å. (2020). Opting out of youth sports: How can we understand the social processes involved? Sport, Education and Society, 25(7), 842-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1663811
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 1: Youth sport:
Fraser-Thomas, J., & Côté, J. (2009). Understanding adolescents’ positive and negative developmental experiences in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 23(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.23.1.3
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 2: Coaching children; developmental considerations:
Jackson, L., Cumming, S. P., Drenowatz, C., Standage, M., Sherar, L. B., & Malina, R. M. (2013). Biological maturation and physical activity in adolescent British females: The roles of physical self-concept and perceived parental support. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14(4), 447-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.01.001
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 3: Coaching culturally diverse youths:
Persson, M. (2022). Playing without goals: Gendered practices in recreational youth football. Journal of Youth Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2021.2022641
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 4: Coaching para athletes:
Thurston, R. J., Alexander, D. M., & Michaud, M. (2021). Practical considerations for coaching athletes with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders. International Sport Coaching Journal, 9(2), 244-251. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2021-0008
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 5: Safeguarding:
Wilinsky, C. L., & McCabe, A. (2021). A review of emotional and sexual abuse of elite child athletes by their coaches. Sports Coaching Review, 10(1), 84-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2020.1775378
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 6: Using motivational theories in practice:
Keegan, R., Spray, C., Harwood, C., & Lavallee, D. (2010). The motivational atmosphere in youth sport: Coach, parent, and peer influences on motivation in specializing sport participants. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 22(1), 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200903421267
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 7: Being a coach:
Denison, J. (2019). What it really means to ‘think outside the box’: Why Foucault matters for coach development. International Sport Coaching Journal, 6(3), 354-358. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2018-0068
* Available online: Click here to download.

Towlson, C., MacMaster, C., Parr, J., & Cumming, S. (2022). One of these things is not like the other: Time to differentiate between relative age and biological maturity selection biases in soccer? Science and Medicine in Football, 6(3), 273-276.
* Available as PDF in Canvas.
(OK based on §15 of the Copyright Law)

Seminar 9: Deselection:
Battaglia, A., Kerr, G., & Stirling, A. (2018). An outcast from the team: Exploring youth ice hockey goalies' benching experiences. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 38, 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.05.010
* Available online: Click here to download.

Seminar 10: Dropout:
Wagnsson, S., Gustafsson, H., Libäck, J., & Podlog, L. W. (2021). Lessons Learned from a multi-level intervention program to reduce swedish female floorballers’ dropout rate. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 12(4), 226-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2020.1850576
* Available online: Click here to download.