Intervention, Waitlist Control
Conditions
Keywords
Athletes, Girls, Coaches, Web-based, Coach Education, Gender Stereotypes
Brief summary
Despite the numerous physical and psychological benefits of taking part in sport, studies consistently show that only 15% of adolescent girls globally meet the recommended daily exercise guidelines (Guthold et al., 2018). The team climate, created by coaches, has been identified as a critical factor in both girls' participation in, and enjoyment of, sport and movement (CITE). Research indicates that girls disengage from sport because of body image concerns, uncomfortable and objectifying uniforms, appearance-related teasing from peers and coaches, untrained coaches, and negative team cultures (Murray et al., 2021; Vani et al., 2021). help coaching girls books as another form of media that produces commonsense proof of girls' sport inferiority, essentializes gender differences, reifies the gender binary (Kane, 1995), and marginalizes the sport participation of girls. The beliefs, values and expectations of significant adults can positively or negatively influence self-perceptions, motivation, experiences, and behaviors of children (Fredricks & Eccles, 2005; Brustad et al., 2001) and also directly influence the coaching behaviors of adults (Cassidy et al., 2005). The 'coaching girls' books examined for this study were formulaic products written from a perspective of difference, despite extensive evidence from meta-analysis research of gender differences which supports the gender similarity hypothesis (Hyde, 2005, p.590). ambivalent and primarily non-research based messages contained within the books trivialize, misrepresent, distort, and marginalize girls' emotions, thoughts, relationships, skills and behaviors in sport contexts (Birrell & Theberge, 1994), while upholding coaching boys as normative praxis. Coaching girls books appear to help coaches of female athletes, while simultaneously reifying gender stereotypes that undermine female empowerment that can occur in and through sports. Praxis based on gendered beliefs of inherent difference is dangerous as it can undermine male-female relationships as well as beliefs of equality, and deprive all children of the opportunity to develop their full human potential (Barnett & Rivers, 2004). Coaches must be aware that coaching is a gendered practice in which beliefs and values are enacted, sometimes in ways that limit the experiences of their athletes. On the other hand, sport participation can improve girls' self perceptions and lead to accrual of health and development assets if the coach and adults in the context are aware of the gendered nature of sport, and strive to eliminate deleterious effects (LaVoi, 2018). This study will test an educational program for coaches aimed at reducing gender essentialist beliefs and gender stereotypes of coaches, to improve the sport experience for girls.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCoaching HER
The CoachingHER coach education program is a six-module online program aimed at upskilling coaches in \[the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of the Coaching HER; the first online program aimed at reducing gender stereotypes for coaches\]. Each module will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and consists of educational content, interactive elements (quizzes, checklists, opinion polls, reflective exercises), and additional resources.
Sponsors
Unilever R&D
Nike
Laureus
University of West England
University of Minnesota
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Current Coaches of adolescent girls * English speaking * U.S. resident
Exclusion criteria
* Participants under 18 years of age * Coaches outside of the US * Coaches who only coach adult women or men/boys
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in coaches' self-efficacy in tackling gender stereotypes | Baseline, pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention (2 weeks later) | Change in coaches' self-efficacy in tackling gender stereotypes assessed via the Coach Confidence: Gender Stereotypes In Sport (modified from Vaughan et al., 2004) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in coaches' self-efficacy in tackling gender essentialist beliefs | Baseline, pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention (2 weeks later) | Process Outcome |
| Total feasibility, acceptability, and adherence of the intervention (assessed via a self-report questionnaire) | Immediately after the intervention | Assess the feasibility, acceptability, and adherence of the CoachingHER coach education program |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total acceptability of the intervention (assessed via a self-report questionnaire) | Immediately after the intervention | Coaches will complete feasibility and acceptability measures via a self-report questionnaire on a scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) within the following domains: 1) affective attitude (e.g., I liked this program); 2) burden (e.g., it was easy to follow the content of the program; 3) ethicality (e.g., I think this program is appropriate for coaches in my sport; 4) self-efficacy (e.g., I am confident that I will use the techniques I learned from this program); 5) perceived effectiveness (e.g., the program was successful in improving my knowledge about gender stereotypes); and 6) content (e.g., how easy or difficult was it to follow the program?). |
| Total intervention adherence (assessed through session completion) | Immediately after the intervention | Total intervention adherence will be assessed by the investigators as number of participants who complete the full intervention. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed