Research Methods in Sports Coaching is a key resource for any student, researcher or practitioner wishing to undertake research into sports coaching. It takes the reader through each phase of the research process, from identifying valuable research questions, to data collection and analyses, to the presentation and dissemination of research findings. It is the only book to focus on the particular challenges and techniques of sports coaching research, with each chapter including examples, cases and scenarios from the real world of sports coaching.The book introduces and explores important philosophical, theoretical and practical considerations in conducting coaching research, including contextual discussions about why it's important to do sports coaching research, how to judge the quality of coaching research, and how sports coaching research might meet the needs of coaching practitioners. Written by a team of leading international scholars and researchers from the UK, US, Canada and Australia, and bridging the gap between theory and practice, this book is an essential course text for any research methods course taken as part of a degree programme in sports coaching or coach education.

1. Introduction, Lee Nelson, Ryan Groom, and Paul Potrac Section 1: Philosophical considerations 2. Philosophy of knowledge, Clifford Mallett and Richard Tinning 3. Logical positivism, Ronald Smith and Frank Smoll 4. Interpretivism, Paul Potrac, Robyn Jones, and Lee Nelson 5. Poststructuralism, Zoë Avner, Luke Jones, and Jim Denison Section 2: Preparing and initiating the research process 6. Navigating the research process, Wade Gilbert, Martin Camiré, and Diane Culver 7. Reviewing the literature, John Lyle 8. The place of theory, Lee Nelson, Ryan Groom, and Paul Potrac 9. Writing and representing research, Ryan Groom, Lee Nelson, Paul Potrac, and Brett Smith 10. Ethical considerations, Graham McFee Section 3: Quantitative approaches to coaching research 11. Questionnaires, Daniel Rhind, Louise Davis, and Sophia Jowett 12. Systematic observation, Gareth Morgan, Bob Muir, and Andy Abraham 13. Analysis of quantitative data, Adrian Midgley and Bryna Chrismas 14. Judging quantitative research, John Toner and Aidan Moran Section 4: Qualitative approaches to coaching research 15. Interviews, Laura Purdy 16. Ethnography, Christopher Cushion 17. Analysis of qualitative data, William Taylor 18. Judging qualitative research, Brett Smith, Andrew Sparkes, and Nick Caddick Section 5: Contemporary approaches to coaching research 19. Autoethnography, Brian Gearity 20. Discourse analysis, Joseph Mills and Jim Denison 21. Conversation analysis, Ryan Groom, Lee Nelson, Paul Potrac, and Christopher Cushion, Section 6: Disseminating coaching research 22. Presenting research, Phil Marshall 23. Publishing research, Pierre Trudel, Diane Culver, and Wade Gilbert