College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Effective coaching is central to athletic development, including, among other things, the creation of a mastery-oriented learning environment, helping athletes improve their technique, and helping athletes work through sticking points in training. However, the pathway to becoming a successful coach remains elusive (Allan, Vierimaa, Gainforth, & Côté, 2018). Coach development programs (CDPs) seek to improve this situation by offering coaches an opportunity to expand and update their knowledge and skills in these and other areas (Allan et al., 2018).

With an interest in the ongoing professional development of coaches, Berntsen and Kristiansen (2019) designed, implemented and evaluated a CDP using a digital workbook format. Their digital workbook was grounded in self-determination theory and evidence-based pedagogy. They were particularly interested in increasing coaches’ autonomy and interpersonal involvement, both of which they felt would improve their social and interpersonal interactions with their athletes. The question their study answered was: Will a theory-based, pedagogically supported, digital workbook CDP improve the behavior of coaches (Berntsen & Kristiansen, 2019)?