An investigation of coaches’ and classifiers’ perceptions of working with athletes with a disability (2023)

Rayona Silverman, Darda Sales, Mercedes Watson, Amy Latimer-Cheung 

There remains a gap in sport opportunity for athletes with disabilities, in addition to proper training for coaches of athletes with disabilities. The purpose of this descriptive study was to compare how coaches’ and classifiers’ perceptions of working with athletes with a disability has changed since 2018, and to evaluate any significant perceptions. Participants included 170 current and past coaches (125 coaches of athletes with a disability (CAWAD); 45 coaches of able-bodied athletes (CABA)) and 12 current and past classifiers located across Ontario, Canada. Eligibility criteria for the participants required that they (a) were over the age of 18 at the time of the survey and (b) currently or formerly a coach/classifier in Ontario. Participants completed a mixed methods survey consisting of questions related to demographics, coach and sport background, coach learning, coach efficacy, and perceptions of capability, opportunity, and motivation behaviours (COM-B). Data analysis was completed using excel and SPSS. An inductive-deductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze open-ended questions. Results from this study highlighted the importance of including athlete input when looking to improve access and overall sport experience. CAWAD also rated informal sources of knowledge (i.e., interacting with other coaches and learning by doing) as the most important, in comparison to formal sources of knowledge (i.e., general NCCP training and sport-specific training). Coaches also emphasized value of interacting with other coaches and networking across coaching communities. The results from this follow up study may contribute towards the measurement of improved facilitation, participation, and positive development for athletes with disabilities.