Developing Gender Effective Coaches: Addressing the Knowledge to Application Gap

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in opportunities for women and girls in sport in Canada. Yet, biases, stereotypes, and norms about gender remain deeply embedded within sport culture (Goorevich & LaVoi, 2025), affecting girls and women across the landscape. The purpose of this doctoral dissertation was to provide coaches with evidence-based tools for their pursuit of gaining confidence in addressing and deconstructing gender beliefs that affect their coaching practice through three interconnected studies. The studies included: (1) the narrative exploration of gender beliefs and the impact they have on coaching methodologies, athlete interactions, and self-confidence; (2) the creation of a gender-related coaching self-efficacy scale; and (3) the exploration of coaches' knowledge-to-action processes through the lens of social learning. In this pursuit, I aimed to support coaches in their development of gender responsive and transformative practices to better address the needs of girls in sport. A pragmatic philosophical orientation, informed epistemologically by social constructionism, was used in this dissertation research. In line with pragmatism, a mixed methods design approach was executed taking into consideration four theoretical frameworks including a combined model of coach self-efficacy (Feltz et al., 1999) and coach effectiveness (Horn, 2002; 2008; Côté & Gilbert, 2009), Wenger's (1998) theory of social learning and communities of practice, and Goorevich and LaVoi's (2025) continuum of gendered sport coach discourses. The results of this inquiry are presented through three articles.

In the first study, entirely qualitative in nature, I present composite vignettes that explored the diverse and context-dependent experiences of coaches coaching girls, further nuanced by the lived realities of women coaches. Data collection consisted of focus groups with 20 coaches ranging in sport and coaching experience. This narrative inquiry aims to illustrate how coaching philosophies and practices are socially shaped through gendered discourses operating within sport. As a result of the findings from this examination, potential items for the scale development study were created. The need for more opportunities for coaches to develop self-awareness regarding their gender biases, reflect, and deconstruct their gender beliefs to make changes to their coaching practices was also highlighted as future areas for growth in coach education.

The second study was conducted through a mixed methods approach, consisting of the development and primary validation of the Girls-Centred Coaching Self-Efficacy Scale (GCSES). The scale development process followed previously established methodological guidelines (i.e., Boateng et al., 2018) with an initial 87 items being created through theory-driven item construction, coach focus groups (n = 20), expert review (n = 6), and cognitive interviews with coaches (n = 4). The revised instrument after this process included 31 items and was administered to 216 sport coaches. An exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure for 23 final items accounting for 54.9% of the variance with strong internal consistency across subscales (⍺ = .80-.92). Subscales include: (1) gender literacy in coaching, (2) understanding gendered sport experiences, (3) fostering gender-inclusive sport, and (4) girl-centred coaching practices. The findings from this study provide evidence for the GCSES to be used as a context-specific tool for evaluations and interventions aimed at advancing gender responsive and transformative coaching practices.

The third study used a mixed methods quasi-experimental design, exploring coaches' knowledge-to-action processes related to their girl-centred coaching self-efficacy through a combined online and social learning intervention. Twenty-five coaches took part in one of two conditions over a five-month period, either completing the series of Coaching HER's foundational eLearning modules by themselves or engaging in a community of practice (CoP; Wenger, 1998) concurrent with the eLearning modules. Coaches in both groups took the GCSES pre- and post-intervention, and data were analyzed using mixed ANOVAs. Participants in the CoP condition were also invited to partake in a focus group (n = 6) grounded in the value creation framework (VCF; Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2020) to explore how value was created through their participation in the CoP. Effect and contribution data were collected throughout the intervention period (Wenger-Trayner et al., 2019). Although the study was underpowered to detect statistically significant differences between conditions, coaches who engaged in the CoP condition demonstrated small trends of mean improvements across all GCSES factors compared to the eLearning condition. Qualitative data, presented through two value creation stories (VCSs; Wenger-Trayner et al., 2019) and individual value cycle examples, aided in providing insight into the GCSES results as well as how coaches in the CoP condition translated learnings into changes to their practices. Altogether, the findings from the final study in this dissertation suggested that engagement in a CoP fostered opportunities for self-reflection, accountability, and contextual application of knowledge. Recommendations included the continued use of social learning in tandem with eLearning for coaching education to better support coaches' knowledge-to-action processes and the value of mixed methods research in this domain.

The results of this doctoral dissertation aim to provide an evidence-based foundation for understanding, measuring, and supporting coaches' development toward more girl-centred and gender-equitable coaching practices. Collectively, the findings advance both theory and practice by offering practical tools, empirical evidence, and a conceptual framework to guide future coach education, research, and organizational efforts aimed at fostering meaningful and sustainable gender equity in sport.