Colum Cronin
Biographic Data
| ID | 6687613 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Colum Cronin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Colum |
| FAMILY NAME | Cronin |
| SIGNATURE | CRONIN C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Liverpool John Moores University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1687-4437 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 27 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Transformational Dramaturgical Longitudinalism (TDL)
Fat stigma is a qualitative health research problem because fat bodies encounter persistent moral surveillance in daily life. In response, many fat people present a socially acceptable ‘front’ to clinicians and researchers. Existing qualitative approaches are therefore somewhat limited to capturing frontstage performances rather than participants’ more personal ‘backstage’ reflections. In response, this methodological paper introduces transformat…
Reorientating grassroots coach education – the selection-box metaphor for curriculum design
Formal coach education provision, particularly those courses targeted at participation and grassroots coaches, often resembles a linear, time-bound pathway, somewhat devoid of choice for coaches who are typically presented with a predetermined curriculum. To advance beyond such approaches, this conceptual paper presents our ‘Selection-Box’ (S-B) metaphor. Rooted in our personal experiences, empirical evidence, and Bernsteinian theory (i.e. classi…
Developing pre-service teacher efficacy during Pete programmes
Physical education (PE) teacher efficacy describes the belief, skills, and competency to facilitate teaching and learning activities within a PE setting. This is important because highly efficacious teachers have a significant impact on learning outcomes for students. This makes teacher efficacy a significant factor in the development and retention of teachers. Yet, despite international consensus on its importance, practical strategies to develo…
‘Baby Ban’ and ‘we are not the same’
Elite athlete mothers are an under researched population. This is remiss given their increasing prevalence, sporting successes, and importance as role models that challenge dominant and traditional views of pregnancy and women in sport. Indeed, sporting organisations are gradually adopting policies to support elite athlete mothers. That said, elite sport is part of a complex social and economic environment that is likely to shape support availabl…
Teeing’ Up Games for Understanding (TUGfU)
Despite the global appeal of game-based approaches (e.g. Teaching Games for Understanding, Game Sense), there is a notable lack of evidence regarding target sport coaches’ perceptions and applications of these pedagogies. Using multiple qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, video observations, coaching plans, reflections and visual images, this qualitative case study investigates a golf coach’s (i.e. David) perception and appl…
Teaching efficacy of undergraduate PE students; what are the key predictors and what can PE educators learn from this
Introduction Teaching efficacy describes the belief in a teacher's ability to promote learning and this belief is an invaluable asset for all teachers. This study examined the contextual influences that predict the teaching efficacy of first-year undergraduate PE students wishing to enter teacher training programs. Method Using a mixed methods study design, 168 PE students completed an online questionnaire and 16 of these participants took part i…
How did we get here; a historical and social exploration of the construction of English FA coach education
Formal coach education, such as courses experienced by coaches, is part of a wider education system, constructed by policy developers, course designers and coach educators. To date, research has explored the complex micro-pedagogical interactions between coach educators and coaches on courses, yet there is little understanding of the historical and social influences on the development of these systems. In response, this study analyses the social …
An examination of content knowledge in formal coach education curriculum
Sport coaching can be seen as an interdisciplinary endeavour, where coaches integrate multiple disciplinary knowledges to support participants achieving a variety of desirable outcomes (e.g. learn new skills, meet new people, develop greater confidence). Limited research however has considered what knowledge has been used as the basis for curricula, or how it has been structured into formal coach education courses. This is remiss because coaches …
Creating and disseminating coach education policy
By examining on-course pedagogical practices, recent research has sought to inform the development of National Governing Body (NGB) coach education courses. Coach education programmes are, however, social constructs, and are influenced by policies and socio-economic factors. To inform future provision, there is a need to understand the construction of policy and the influences affecting course design. This study examined how the English Football …
Sociology, Curriculum Studies and Professional Knowledge
Curricula have been the subject of sociological consideration for some time. In the UK, this interest has recently burgeoned, driven in part by policy makers such as the Scottish and Welsh Governments who have, to greater and lesser extents, reformed their school curricula. In England specifically, the educational inspectorate, OFTSED, has also challenged teachers and school leaders to consider the intent, implementation and evaluation of their c…
Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching
The purpose of this article is to explore the insights of an elite sport coach living with comorbid depression and alcohol misuse. Such consideration is necessary because as coaching is increasingly repositioned as a caring activity the wellbeing of coaches themselves has rarely been considered. To address this gap, a narrative analysis methodology and a story telling approach was used to present the experiences of a case study coach (Steve). The…
Learning from the past; a Freirean analysis of FA coach education since 1967
Formal coach education has been described as an activity which promotes conformity from course attendees. To date, however, few studies have looked at how coach education has been socially constructed over time. The present study addresses this gap and provides a Freirean account of English Football Association (FA) coach education since 1967. Specifically, this study focuses on coach education in the participation domain (grassroots football) wh…
‘Sinking and swimming in disability coaching’
In terms of achieving wider health and social outcomes, sport coaching promises much for young people with disabilities. Despite this promise, the experiences and practices of those coaches who enter the disability sport arena are underexplored. This is particularly so for coaches who operate in community participation rather than competitive elite environments. Accordingly, this paper uses an autoethnographic approach to explore the experiences …
‘Net Mums’
Back to Netball (B2N) is a coach-led programme established by England Netball, to encourage inactive individuals to re-engage. B2N engages a typically hard to reach group, with 52% of participants being mums. This study aims to understand how a physical activity intervention (i.e. B2N) influences mums’ identity. There is a distinct lack of qualitative studies that include mums’ own voices and how they negotiate being physically active alongside t…
Transforming, storing and consuming athletic experiences
The analysis of sport performance in competitive contexts has become synonymous with the use of a range of software applications and hardware e.g. heart rate monitors and gps systems. With the prevalence of technology in mind, a small but growing corpus of literature has begun to consider this phenomenon and its influence upon the coaching process. This study adds to this literature by detailing the autoethnographic experiences of a case study co…
Nurture, nature and some very dubious social skills
This paper reports qualitative findings regarding the concepts and practices utilised in talent identification (TI) among professional coaches working in English youth soccer. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, detailed interviews with seven such coaches are explored, with a view to elucidating the links between understanding, practice, experience and professional context. Findings reveal three superordinate themes, relating to (1) a…
Being’ in the coaching world
Since Heidegger's influential text; Being and time (1927/2005), the phenomenological question of what it means to ‘be’ has generated a vast body of work. This paper reports data from a phenomenological study that investigated what it means to ‘be’ a youth performance coach. An overview of the interpretive phenomenological methods used is followed by presentation of coaches and data. Data analysis resulted in the identification of three constituen…
Lived experience and community sport coaching
Coaching in the participation domain as the act of coaching participants that are less intensely engaged in sport than performance orientated athletes. This form of coaching is a popular activity occurring in community settings such as schools or sport clubs, and it is often undertaken with a broad range of social and health outcomes in mind. The experiences and practices of the large army of 'community coaches' have been under-explored in compar…
Learning from the past; a Freirean analysis of FA coach education since 1967
Formal coach education has been described as an activity which promotes conformity from course attendees. To date, however, few studies have looked at how coach education has been socially constructed over time. The present study addresses this gap and provides a Freirean account of English Football Association (FA) coach education since 1967. Specifically, this study focuses on coach education in the participation domain (grassroots football) wh…
Lived experience and community sport coaching
Coaching in the participation domain as the act of coaching participants that are less intensely engaged in sport than performance orientated athletes. This form of coaching is a popular activity occurring in community settings such as schools or sport clubs, and it is often undertaken with a broad range of social and health outcomes in mind. The experiences and practices of the large army of 'community coaches' have been under-explored in compar…
Being’ in the coaching world
Since Heidegger's influential text; Being and time (1927/2005), the phenomenological question of what it means to ‘be’ has generated a vast body of work. This paper reports data from a phenomenological study that investigated what it means to ‘be’ a youth performance coach. An overview of the interpretive phenomenological methods used is followed by presentation of coaches and data. Data analysis resulted in the identification of three constituen…
Transforming, storing and consuming athletic experiences
The analysis of sport performance in competitive contexts has become synonymous with the use of a range of software applications and hardware e.g. heart rate monitors and gps systems. With the prevalence of technology in mind, a small but growing corpus of literature has begun to consider this phenomenon and its influence upon the coaching process. This study adds to this literature by detailing the autoethnographic experiences of a case study co…
An examination of content knowledge in formal coach education curriculum
Sport coaching can be seen as an interdisciplinary endeavour, where coaches integrate multiple disciplinary knowledges to support participants achieving a variety of desirable outcomes (e.g. learn new skills, meet new people, develop greater confidence). Limited research however has considered what knowledge has been used as the basis for curricula, or how it has been structured into formal coach education courses. This is remiss because coaches …
Creating and disseminating coach education policy
By examining on-course pedagogical practices, recent research has sought to inform the development of National Governing Body (NGB) coach education courses. Coach education programmes are, however, social constructs, and are influenced by policies and socio-economic factors. To inform future provision, there is a need to understand the construction of policy and the influences affecting course design. This study examined how the English Football …
Lived experience and community sport coaching
Coaching in the participation domain as the act of coaching participants that are less intensely engaged in sport than performance orientated athletes. This form of coaching is a popular activity occurring in community settings such as schools or sport clubs, and it is often undertaken with a broad range of social and health outcomes in mind. The experiences and practices of the large army of 'community coaches' have been under-explored in compar…
Nurture, nature and some very dubious social skills
This paper reports qualitative findings regarding the concepts and practices utilised in talent identification (TI) among professional coaches working in English youth soccer. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, detailed interviews with seven such coaches are explored, with a view to elucidating the links between understanding, practice, experience and professional context. Findings reveal three superordinate themes, relating to (1) a…
Being’ in the coaching world
Since Heidegger's influential text; Being and time (1927/2005), the phenomenological question of what it means to ‘be’ has generated a vast body of work. This paper reports data from a phenomenological study that investigated what it means to ‘be’ a youth performance coach. An overview of the interpretive phenomenological methods used is followed by presentation of coaches and data. Data analysis resulted in the identification of three constituen…
Transforming, storing and consuming athletic experiences
The analysis of sport performance in competitive contexts has become synonymous with the use of a range of software applications and hardware e.g. heart rate monitors and gps systems. With the prevalence of technology in mind, a small but growing corpus of literature has begun to consider this phenomenon and its influence upon the coaching process. This study adds to this literature by detailing the autoethnographic experiences of a case study co…
‘Sinking and swimming in disability coaching’
In terms of achieving wider health and social outcomes, sport coaching promises much for young people with disabilities. Despite this promise, the experiences and practices of those coaches who enter the disability sport arena are underexplored. This is particularly so for coaches who operate in community participation rather than competitive elite environments. Accordingly, this paper uses an autoethnographic approach to explore the experiences …
‘Net Mums’
Back to Netball (B2N) is a coach-led programme established by England Netball, to encourage inactive individuals to re-engage. B2N engages a typically hard to reach group, with 52% of participants being mums. This study aims to understand how a physical activity intervention (i.e. B2N) influences mums’ identity. There is a distinct lack of qualitative studies that include mums’ own voices and how they negotiate being physically active alongside t…
Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching
The purpose of this article is to explore the insights of an elite sport coach living with comorbid depression and alcohol misuse. Such consideration is necessary because as coaching is increasingly repositioned as a caring activity the wellbeing of coaches themselves has rarely been considered. To address this gap, a narrative analysis methodology and a story telling approach was used to present the experiences of a case study coach (Steve). The…
Learning from the past; a Freirean analysis of FA coach education since 1967
Formal coach education has been described as an activity which promotes conformity from course attendees. To date, however, few studies have looked at how coach education has been socially constructed over time. The present study addresses this gap and provides a Freirean account of English Football Association (FA) coach education since 1967. Specifically, this study focuses on coach education in the participation domain (grassroots football) wh…
Creating and disseminating coach education policy
By examining on-course pedagogical practices, recent research has sought to inform the development of National Governing Body (NGB) coach education courses. Coach education programmes are, however, social constructs, and are influenced by policies and socio-economic factors. To inform future provision, there is a need to understand the construction of policy and the influences affecting course design. This study examined how the English Football …
Sociology, Curriculum Studies and Professional Knowledge
Curricula have been the subject of sociological consideration for some time. In the UK, this interest has recently burgeoned, driven in part by policy makers such as the Scottish and Welsh Governments who have, to greater and lesser extents, reformed their school curricula. In England specifically, the educational inspectorate, OFTSED, has also challenged teachers and school leaders to consider the intent, implementation and evaluation of their c…
An examination of content knowledge in formal coach education curriculum
Sport coaching can be seen as an interdisciplinary endeavour, where coaches integrate multiple disciplinary knowledges to support participants achieving a variety of desirable outcomes (e.g. learn new skills, meet new people, develop greater confidence). Limited research however has considered what knowledge has been used as the basis for curricula, or how it has been structured into formal coach education courses. This is remiss because coaches …
Teaching efficacy of undergraduate PE students; what are the key predictors and what can PE educators learn from this
Introduction Teaching efficacy describes the belief in a teacher's ability to promote learning and this belief is an invaluable asset for all teachers. This study examined the contextual influences that predict the teaching efficacy of first-year undergraduate PE students wishing to enter teacher training programs. Method Using a mixed methods study design, 168 PE students completed an online questionnaire and 16 of these participants took part i…
How did we get here; a historical and social exploration of the construction of English FA coach education
Formal coach education, such as courses experienced by coaches, is part of a wider education system, constructed by policy developers, course designers and coach educators. To date, research has explored the complex micro-pedagogical interactions between coach educators and coaches on courses, yet there is little understanding of the historical and social influences on the development of these systems. In response, this study analyses the social …
‘Baby Ban’ and ‘we are not the same’
Elite athlete mothers are an under researched population. This is remiss given their increasing prevalence, sporting successes, and importance as role models that challenge dominant and traditional views of pregnancy and women in sport. Indeed, sporting organisations are gradually adopting policies to support elite athlete mothers. That said, elite sport is part of a complex social and economic environment that is likely to shape support availabl…
Teeing’ Up Games for Understanding (TUGfU)
Despite the global appeal of game-based approaches (e.g. Teaching Games for Understanding, Game Sense), there is a notable lack of evidence regarding target sport coaches’ perceptions and applications of these pedagogies. Using multiple qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, video observations, coaching plans, reflections and visual images, this qualitative case study investigates a golf coach’s (i.e. David) perception and appl…
Developing pre-service teacher efficacy during Pete programmes
Physical education (PE) teacher efficacy describes the belief, skills, and competency to facilitate teaching and learning activities within a PE setting. This is important because highly efficacious teachers have a significant impact on learning outcomes for students. This makes teacher efficacy a significant factor in the development and retention of teachers. Yet, despite international consensus on its importance, practical strategies to develo…
Transformational Dramaturgical Longitudinalism (TDL)
Fat stigma is a qualitative health research problem because fat bodies encounter persistent moral surveillance in daily life. In response, many fat people present a socially acceptable ‘front’ to clinicians and researchers. Existing qualitative approaches are therefore somewhat limited to capturing frontstage performances rather than participants’ more personal ‘backstage’ reflections. In response, this methodological paper introduces transformat…
Reorientating grassroots coach education – the selection-box metaphor for curriculum design
Formal coach education provision, particularly those courses targeted at participation and grassroots coaches, often resembles a linear, time-bound pathway, somewhat devoid of choice for coaches who are typically presented with a predetermined curriculum. To advance beyond such approaches, this conceptual paper presents our ‘Selection-Box’ (S-B) metaphor. Rooted in our personal experiences, empirical evidence, and Bernsteinian theory (i.e. classi…
Psychology (14 works) · Sport Psychology and Performance (13 works) · Physical Education and Pedagogy (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Coaching (8 works) · Pedagogy (8 works) · Political science (7 works) · Qualitative research (6 works) · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports (5 works) · Narrative (5 works)