A scoping review of positive youth development coach education programmes: implications for future research

Abstract

Many positive youth development-focused coach education programmes (PYD-focused CEPs) have been designed to help coaches learn the processes and mechanisms associated with fostering life skills and values, amongst other PYD outcomes. Previous reviews of PYD through sport have focused on issues such as programme effectiveness and the prevalence of implicit-explicit strategies. However, we have not identified reviews that have examined PYD-focused CEPs research, which is an emerging line of inquiry. A comprehensive overview of existing literature on PYD-focused CEPs research can showcase the processes and outcomes that result in coach learning of PYD materials, as well as enable researchers to identify future research pathways. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to conduct a scoping review of studies that incorporate PYD-focused CEPs. The screening process was conducted based on the following inclusion criteria: (a) philosophical, theoretical, and/or conceptual articles related to PYD-focused CEPs; (b) studies that included the development, delivery, and/or study of PYD-focused CEPs; (c) studies that focused on coach perspectives of PYD-focused CEPs; and (d) studies that involved children and youth to the age of 18 years old. A total of 35 studies published between 2008 and 2024 were included. Findings highlight that previous studies have made efforts to deliver PYD-focused CEPs in ways that foster positive outcomes among coaches and athletes. Nonetheless, findings suggest that, despite these efforts, there are still numerous challenges concerning programme design, delivery, evaluation, and overall sustainability. Consequently, there are still gaps with regard to how programmes are delivered, why certain decisions are made, and the implementation of validity processes and procedures to increase rigour. Based on these insights, several implications for future research are provided.