Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Cultural Leadership in Physical Education and Youth Sport

2023-10-12T21:54:32+02:00

This paper is the product of a Nordic Think Tank. The purpose was to unify experienced educators and expert researchers to (a) provide a set of working definitions for cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport, and (b) set an agenda for future research and educational practice in both contexts. A cultural leader is the professional and social role of a person who has legitimacy (is in the position) and responsibility to develop, maintain, and (if needed) attempt to change culture of a group of learners, such as pupils or athletes, in the service of good (i.e., helps pupils or athletes to thrive inside and outside school or sport; are continuing to learn, develop in a holistic way, and meet their potential). Six postulates representing consensus views of the invited group are proposed: (1) cultural leadership is a meta-function that permeates all other pedagogical functions of the physical education teacher and the youth sport coach; (2) today cultural leadership is more important than ever; (3) cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport must be in the service of good; (4) cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport requires specific competencies and virtues; (5) culture is co-produced, but the physical education teacher and youth sport coach have a special responsibility; (6) cultural leadership should be integrated in physical education teacher education and youth sport coach education in the future; and future research should explore teachers and coaches as cultural leaders to inform future educational practices.

Investigating the relationship between achievement motive and performance in elite-level football goalkeepers

2023-08-23T15:09:14+02:00

The goalkeeper position in football is highly specific. Investigating the achievement motive of elite-level goalkeepers might help football coaches in general, goalkeeping coaches, and sports psychologists to gain insight into and knowledge of the approaches needed for enhancing the performance of this unique position within the football team. This study aimed to examine the achievement motive for male goalkeepers playing at the elite level in Denmark (n = 34) and Iceland (n = 20) and to investigate the relationship between the achievement motive, age and performance. In addition to biographical questions, the study employed the Achievement Motives Scale – Sport. The findings from the present study suggest that goalkeepers are characterized by higher hope for success than fear of failure values, like other elite athletes, while younger goalkeepers had significantly higher fear of failure. There were no differences between starting and non-starting goalkeepers, but we found that performance level was associated with fear of failure when controlling for the goalkeeper’s status (starters versus non-starters) and playing country. Finally, goalkeepers playing in Denmark showed lower fear of failure than goalkeepers playing in Iceland. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Examining the effects of the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) programme on sport-specific dispositional mindfulness, sport anxiety, and experiential acceptance in Martial Arts

2024-03-06T16:09:37+01:00

The aim of the study was to examine effects of the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) programme on sport-specific dispositional mindfulness, sport anxiety, and experiential acceptance, compared to an inactive control group, in a population of Martial Arts (MA) athletes. Twenty-three MA athletes were subjected to the MAC intervention, and 22 MA athletes comprised the control group. To analyse potential differences in the outcome variables between the two groups, Bayesian repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) was used. Findings showed that the MAC-group had greater increases over time in the sport-specific mindfulness subscales awareness and acceptance and acceptance, compared to the control group. In contrast, no interaction effects were found for present moment attention (AMQ), experiential acceptance (BEAQ), and sport anxiety (SAS-2). Overall, the present study adds further information and understanding about the effectiveness and implementation of the MAC programme.