Date

2008

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Teacher Education

Abstract

This action thesis project is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Education degree at California State University, Monterey Bay. This project is entitled “A Self Examination of Coaching Practices for Middle School Children.” The contents of this thesis include the mandated requirements such as the front matter, statement of purpose, literature review, methodology discussion, action plan, appendices, and references. This project is a self-evaluation of my coaching practices with the female studentathletes at North County Middle School. Specifically, I provided North County Middle School with a free volleyball clinic in the hope that I could help strengthen the volleyball skills of incoming generations that will attend North County High School, where I am the current girls’ varsity volleyball coach. The clinic focused on improving player sportsmanship (“sports-personship”) practices as well as on volleyball skills, and also on encouraging future participation in the sport. I conducted research on my coaching practices at the volleyball clinic in several ways, including player questionnaires, coaches’ evaluations, and personal journaling. As a result of this study, I found that the student-athletes (subjects) improved their current skill-set, enjoyed the activities regarding sports-personship, and increased their desire for future participation in volleyball. Personally, I learned a great deal from this experience as well. I was able to reinforce my own coaching techniques, found how to communicate more effectively with middle school girls, and discovered the importance of emphasizing sports-personship in coaching. Evaluating both the student-athletes and my own coaching techniques at this clinic has given me the knowledge and experience to make me a better coach.

Comments

Thesis (M.A.) Teacher Education Department

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