| The purpose of this investigation was to learn the effect of a soccer coaching education course upon the coaching efficacy as measured by the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES; Feltz, Helper, Roman, & Paiement; 2009) of coaches participating in the course. 122 responses from participating coaches were used for pre-course analysis, and 35 were used for analysis of pre- and post-course measurements. MANOVA testing for differences between male and female pre-course scores revealed no overall significant difference, and univariate tests revealed no significant differences for any of the individual domains between male and female coaches pre-course scores. There were no significant differences among the groups based upon level of experience. In comparing the 4 CES domains (Game Strategy, Technical Instruction, Motivation, and Character Building), a significant multivariate difference was found between pre-and post course scores indicating a positive change in coaches CES ratings. Univariate analysis revealed positive significant differences between pre-and post-course CES measures for the Motivation, Game Strategy, and Technical Instruction domains. These results point towards the ability of a coaching education program to bring about positive changes in coaches' confidence in their abilities to be an effective coach.;In addition, coaches were asked open-ended questions. Coaches were asked to list the three most important things learned from the course. Themes cited by coaches included Methodology, Drills and Exercises, Tactics, Psychology/Confidence, Networking/Contacts, Knowledge, and Organization. Coaches were asked to list three ways in which their coaching would change. These ways included Knowledge, Organization, Communication, Increased Confidence, Use of Coaching in the Game Methodology, a General Increase in Coaching Skills, No Change in Coaching, and Use of New Drills.;Results of this study indicate a coaching education program can bring about positive changes in coaching efficacy. Open-ended question revealed factors coaches perceived as important to their educational experience that would impact their coaching. These results are encouraging regarding the value of coaching education programs as a method to improve coaching efficacy. |
