A recent study conducted by Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation professor Nick Holt identified five priority areas that youth sport organizations would like to see sport researchers focus their efforts.
According to Holt, conducting research that is highly relevant to stakeholders' needs can help reduce the gap between research and practice. Holt worked with sixty representatives from Canadian provincial sport organizations (PSOs) to identify their research priorities.
Five main areas were identified as research priorities:
- Athlete development systems
- PSOs wanted to know about the effectiveness of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and its impact on athletes and coaches
- Participation and retention
- Understanding who is engaging in sport was critical for PSOs, and they wanted to see research that involves tracking participation and retention rates, particularly among specific demographic groups.
- Parenting
- PSOs wanted learn more about the effects of parental pressure on athletes, and gain a better understanding of parent-coach relationships and the effects of parent education initiatives.
- Benefits of the sport
- The potential personal and social benefits associated with participation in a particular sport were important issues for PSOs. They wanted to know what personal and social skills children can learn through participating in their sport.
- Coaching
- PSOs wanted more research examining a range of issues associated with coaching, including the effects of coach education programs, particular coaching approaches, coach motivation and retention, and the role of parents as coaches.
Holt acknowledged that research exists in many of the areas identified, which he said "highlights the need for researchers to engage in more effective knowledge translation efforts." The study also revealed areas that have received relatively little research attention. "We hope that our study will help researchers to develop projects that are highly relevant to sport organizations," says Holt. "The more relevant the research, the more likely it is to be used to inform practice and policy."