Pedagogy, game intelligence & critical thinking: the future of Irish soccer?

Abstract

Utilizing data gathered from over 20 action research workshops involving over 350 participants with clubs in the UK and Ireland, this paper examines how coaching pedagogy facilitates the development of young soccer players in general and their perceptual cognitive skills in particular. This paper argues that in order to enhance player learning, coaches and managers would benefit from an understanding of the many theoretical frameworks underpinning the process of learning. This pedagogical knowledge assists in understanding how specific practices such as critical thinking, reflection, questioning and feedback facilitates the enhancement of player learning and in the assessment and development of perceptual cognitive skills. The value of this paper lies in its potential to stimulate debate, discussion and sensitize Irish coaches and managers, at all levels, to the way in which they, and their players, learn and to stimulate a critical evaluation and reflection of their current coaching and management practices.

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the anonymous reviewers and Susan Giblin, Ruud Dokter and Gavin Fleming for their considerably helpful suggestions and comments on an earlier draft. A special word of thanks to the editors of this special issue for their advice, support and considerable patience. Finally, considerable gratitude is owed to the workshop participants for their assistance, advice and engagement with this research.

Notes

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71. Ibid.

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91. Flanagan, ‘The Critical Incident Technique,’ 327.

92. Shapira-Lishchinsky, ‘Teachers’ Critical Incidents,’ 648–56.

93. Byrnes and Dunbar, ‘The Nature and Development,’ 477.

94. A number of studies have examined the processes and practices that coaches adopt for improving decision making in volleyball (Macquet, 2009) basketball (Bar-Eli & Tractinsky, 2000) netball (Richards et al., 2012) and rugby union (Light et al., 2014) and in teams such as the New Zealand All-Blacks Kidman (2010)

95. MGarry et al., 2013, Routledge Handbook of Sports; Carling et al., Performance assessment; Groom et al., ‘The Delivery of Video-based,’ 16–32; and Groom et al., ‘The Delivery of Video-based,’ 16–32.

96. Bampouras et al., ‘Performance Analytic Processes,’ 468–83.

97. Mackenzie and Cushion, ‘Performance Analysis in Football,’ 639–76; and Carling et al., ‘Comment on ‘Performance Analysis.’

98. Ibid.

99. Ibid.

100. Patton, ‘Qualitative Interviewing,’ 574.

101. Groom et al., ‘The Delivery of Video-based,’ 16–32.

102. Bampouras et al., ‘Performance Analytic Processes,’ 468–83.

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108. Duhigg, The Power of Habit.

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110. Van Mullem and Brunner, ‘Developing a Successful Coaching,’ 29–34.

111. Renshaw et al., ‘Insights from Ecological Psychology,’ 540–602.