Facilitating Youth Sport Coaches in Learning to Problematize by Crystal Watson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, & Recreation University of Alberta © Crystal Watson, 2018 ii Abstract Despite the commonness for coaching courses, manuals and websites to heavily emphasize conventional sport science concepts (such as physiology, biomechanics and sport psychology), sport scholars have suggested that coaches could benefit from learning about, and utilizing, social theory (Avner, Markula & Denison, 2017; Potrac & Cassidy, 2006). Irrespective of this scholarly support, the coaching literature seems to lack practical strategies for supporting coaches in exploring these concepts. Accordingly, I decided to develop and implement a coaching workshop that was intended to facilitate youth sport coaches in utilizing social theory, specifically the work of French social theorist Michel Foucault. My decision to draw upon Foucault was supported by Denison (2010), Jones, Denison, and Gearity (2016), and Shogan (1999), who have contextualized Foucault’s work within sport and are now advocating for coaches to ‘think with Foucault’. One way coaches can be facilitated in ‘thinking with Foucault’ is through learning to problematize, which involves critically questioning one’s taken-for- granted assumptions and practices by assessing the workings of power and knowledge, to reveal the unintended consequences associated with their actions. Doing so can help coaches ensure that their actions align with their intentions, which has the potential to enhance coaches’ effectiveness and in turn improve their athletes’ performances. Accordingly, my Foucauldian-inspired workshop consisted of two, 2.5-hour sessions that were separated by a one-week break. Through a variety of interactive learning activities, the coaches were challenged to problematize the taken-for-granted coaching logics that view the athletic ‘body as a machine’ and position the ‘coach as an expert’. Afterwards the coaches were encouraged to problematize their own habitual coaching practices. Correspondingly, to iii generate empirical material the participants’ were asked to complete guided reflective journals. These journal responses in combination with my own field notes provided rich insights into how the four youth sport coaches’ experienced both the Foucauldian-informed learning environment and content, where it became apparent that multiple, fragmented perspectives shaped the reality of this workshop. Furthermore, although a number of measures were taken to support the poststructuralist view of learning, as an active, social, collaborative process, these efforts ended up having a mixture of facilitative and constraining effects. As a result, the coaches engaged with the workshop’s content to differing degrees. Nevertheless, the happenings within the workshop illustrated that Foucault’s concepts can be introduced to coaches in understandable and relevant ways that prompt the development of readily implementable, innovative coaching practices. Overall, I believe the insights gained from this research illustrate how ‘thinking with Foucault’, which involves challenging taken-for-granted assumptions, can create space for innovative practices to be developed by coaches, learning facilitators and coach developers. The fact that the workshop had both facilitative and constraining effects emphasizes the importance of adopting a poststructuralist lens, which reveals the workings of power and knowledge while also honoring reality as fragmented and multiple (Markula & Silk, 2011). In closing, I feel this research can be used as a springboard to prompt further exploration of innovative and enriching coach learning opportunities that acknowledge and accommodate for the distinct social, cultural and historical aspects of a given learning context. iv Preface This thesis is an original work by Crystal Watson. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “Facilitating Youth Sport Coaches in Learning to Problematize”, No. Pro00079208, February 12, 2018. No part of this thesis has been previously published. v Acknowledgement I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all of those who have supported me while I worked towards completing the Masters of Arts program in Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. Specifically, I would like to extend a huge thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Jim Denison, for his ongoing support, thoughtful feedback and encouraging guidance throughout my entire time in this program. My supervisory committee member, Dr. Doug Gleddie deserves acknowledgement and appreciation for sharing his expertise and helping to ensure this project was both meaningful and of high quality. I also want to thank my fellow graduate students who always made time to have thought-provoking discussions and provided feedback when requested. Lastly, I would like to thank the Government of Alberta (QEII Graduate Award) and Alberta Learning (Alberta Graduate Student Scholarship) for the financial support that has made it possible for me to purse this thesis research project. vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ ii Preface ................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................ v Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Research Rationale and Purpose ....................................................................................................4 Thesis Structure .............................................................................................................................5 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................. 7 Unintended Consequences Associated with Coaching Logics ...........................................................9 The Coach as the Expert ............................................................................................................... 11 The Body as a Machine................................................................................................................. 15 Challenges Associated with Change .............................................................................................. 19 Poststructuralism in Coach Education ........................................................................................... 24 My Research ................................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 3: Methodology ...................................................................................................... 29 Sampling...................................................................................................................................... 30 Ethical Proceedings ...................................................................................................................... 32 Workshop Design ......................................................................................................................... 34 Learning Activities .............................................................................................................................. 39 Methods ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Chapter 4: Analysis and Discussion ...................................................................................... 50 Implementing a Foucauldian-Informed Coaching Workshop .......................................................... 51 Taking on the Role of a Learning Facilitator ....................................................................................... 52 A Poststructuralist View of Learning .................................................................................................. 60 Incorporating a One-Week Break ....................................................................................................... 68 Coaches’ Backgrounds ........................................................................................................................ 71 Engaging in Problematization ....................................................................................................... 77 Overcoming Content-Related Criticisms ............................................................................................ 77 Problematizing One’s Role as a Coach ............................................................................................... 81 Critically Assessing Practices .............................................................................................................. 86 Utilizing Multiple Sources of Knowledge ........................................................................................... 91 Summary ....................................................................................................................................