Helping Coaches Engage in Learning: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of NCCP Participation and Certification Rates

This explanatory mixed-methods case study research explores impacts of learning blends, consumer behaviour, and personality traits on coach education participation and certification rates in Canada’s National Coaches Certification Program. The research builds upon previous literature to further identify and quantify factors such that future revisions to coach education learning materials and program design can decrease participation barriers and increase certification rates. Using a mixed-methods approach, data was collected from 67 active coaches, coach developers, and instructional designers from eleven Canadian sports and analyzed using both regression and thematic methods. The findings reveal correlations between higher household incomes, incentives, certain personality traits, and learning preferences impact the likelihood of achieving NCCP-trained and certified status. These results contribute to the field of coach education by highlighting the importance of accessible, clear, and relevant content, flexible evaluation methods, and deliberate mentorship to better support diverse learning preferences and personality types. Implications for practice and future research include greater emphasis on learner-centred approaches, exploring sport-specific policies to better understand barriers and incentives, and expanding the sample size to further isolate the effect of predictive variables.

Author dc:creator

• Chaddock, Benjamin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wilde, Russ

• School of education and technology

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/ir-20340

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28772