Research and Knowledge Exchange
Graduate School
Self-Funded Research Project Template
Project Details
Title
The title of the project (50 words)
Coaching Lives
Research Institute Reference Number
The project reference number (30 characters)
Format: RI-PI initials–Year–Project Number-Award
Example: IPR-GP-2014-5-PhD
SpLeisH-DDay-3-PhD
Project Summary
The project summary (50 words)
This project aims to engage through an inter-disciplinary approach with a number of problematic issues in sports
coaching, in particular the contemporary hegemonic discourse of coach development, which is framed around
coach education, accreditation and professionalization.
Specific Requirements of the Project
The specific qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience applicants should have for this project (200 words)
The successful applicant for this position will be able to demonstrate a range of knowledge, especially relating to
the collection and archiving of biographies, and a variety of skills, such as the ability to collect oral histories and
to archive those electronically. Training will be available to candidates who have particular strengths and
weaknesses in this respect but it is anticipated that anyone interested in this position would, as minimum, have
some experience in working both historically and sociologically. The demonstrable ability to engage equally with
the academic community, coaching practitioners and the public will be an obvious advantage.
Project Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the project (600 words)
This project aims to engage through an inter-disciplinary approach with a number of problematic issues in sports
coaching such as the current hegemonic discourse of coach development, which predicates coach education,
accreditation and professionalization. Studies drawing from the archive might engage with coaching knowledge
and practice acquisition in relation to processes of self-organisation, communities of practice and discovery and
knowledge clusters over diverse time frames which offer alternatives to this hegemonic discourse. Studies might
also be undertaken in relation to coaching as an art, craft or science and how expertise can be understood through
the narrative analysis of the coaches’ stories.
The central research resource will be an archive of textual biographies or audio/audio-visual recorded life histories
collated by the researcher for narrative analysis, or interpretation. The archive will consist of three categories of
documents:
 Textual biographies of deceased coaches following where possible the themes covered in a standardised
interview schedule for recording interviews
 A single recorded interview with a coach based on a standardised interview schedule
 A series of recorded interviews conducted with a single coach during a period of their coaching life based on
a standardised interview schedule for recorded interviews.
The archive will be both physical and electronic. The physical archive will be catalogued copies of the original
recorded interviews (together with transcripts) and textual biographies. The electronic archive, posted on the
relevant MMU website, will give the studies an “outward facing” focus by making available textual, spoken and
visual narratives, for student teaching and learning at universities, colleges and schools; as a textual and sonic
resource for other researchers, the media, museums and exhibitions; and for wider public access to the life stories
collected in the form of textual accounts, and podcasts. Through the narrative analysis of the textual and recorded
interviews, studies will be able to assemble individual life histories for comparative and longitudinal studies of
coaching lives and will provide detailed accounts of continuities and changes in coaching knowledge and practice
over the coaching life of individual coaches and between coaches working at the same time and during different
historical periods.
Student Eligibility
Project is open to:
Home/EU and overseas √
Proposed Supervisory Team
Informal enquiries can be made to
email D.J.Day@mmu.ac.uk
How to Apply
Applications should be completed using the Postgraduate Research Degree Application Form
http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/postgraduate-research-course/
Return the completed application to: pgradmissions@mmu.ac.uk
PLEASE NOTE: Section 9 of the application should be used to write a personal statement outlining your
suitability for the study, what you hope to achieve from the PhD and your research experience to date.
CLOSING DATE: If applicable (please state if there is no closing date)
There is no closing date and applicants will be interviewed as and when they apply