Narrative as a learning tool for coaches of athletes with a disability: using stories to translate research into practice

Background Provided that coaches play a key role in shaping the sport experiences of athletes with a disability, they represent an important point of intervention for enhancing the quality of athletes' participation in disability sport. Despite the importance of their role, few evidence-informed learning resources are available to support the development of disability sport coaches. Purpose The purpose of this study was to produce a novel evidence-informed learning tool for disability sport coaches in entry level and developmental coaching domains. The goal of this tool was to demonstrate and provide information about coach behaviours that facilitate quality experiences for athletes with disabilities. Methodology The format selected for this tool was a creative nonfiction (i.e. an evidence-informed story). Using the Knowledge to Action Framework as a guide, the tool was developed through a four-stage process: (1) identifying and creating primary sources of knowledge through a literature review and original research; (2) synthesizing primary sources of knowledge to select target behaviours and behavioural determinants; (3) crafting the story to demonstrate and provide information about target behaviours and related outcomes; and (4) obtaining feedback from stakeholders (i.e. disability sport athletes, coaches, and administrators) to tailor the knowledge included in the story to the appropriate context. Findings In the first stage, 23 studies focused on quality experiences and/or coaches in disability sport were identified through a review of the literature. The findings of these studies were combined with the results of three original studies conducted by the research team. A synthesis of these findings resulted in the selection of two behavioural determinants (confidence and attitudes) and 13 coach behaviours (aligning with transformational leadership theory) for inclusion in the tool (Stage 2). The story that formed the basis for the tool was crafted in Stage 3, which combined the behaviours and behavioural determinants identified in Stage 2 with a plotline, setting, and characters based on the experience of the first author and stakeholder input. The tool was revised several times to incorporate stakeholder feedback in Stage 4. Implications This paper describes the development of a practical resource for coaches and coach educators in disability sport. As such, we provide a detailed and rigorous procedure for translating evidence into a narrative format with the potential for application in diverse learning contexts. In addition, we reviewed and synthesized evidence that may contribute to enhanced theoretical understandings of coaching effectiveness in disability sport. Taken together, the information presented in this paper offers important theoretical, methodological, and practical implications for researchers, coaches, and coach developers in disability sport.