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It is intended that this module will consolidate previous learning from taught modules and/or personal study so that you are able to evidence decision making in a constructive manner which will have an impact on your practice. The content of this module is designed to take a holistic approach to understanding athletic development. This means that areas including coach attributes (communication and behaviour), athlete attributes (age, stage of development, sport type etc.), environmental factors (e.g. competition, transitions, stress, and support), physiological characteristics (stress response, maturation stage), and psychological characteristics of developing excellence (e.g. psychological skills) will be covered by the module content. The content will also help to develop your skills relating to accessing and synthesising relevant academic literature. It will also encourage you to apply knowledge gathered in this way to your own practice and/or environment. You will have already focussed on one or more of these in previous modules. However, in this module (the last in this program of study), you will be required to bring together your knowledge, experiences, or research interests within three of these five areas with a view to producing an impact study (in the form of a portfolio) that will inform and guide your future practice.

You will be able to further individualise your learning experience within this module by choosing to focus your independent studies on a global theme of athlete development (e.g. leadership, talent development, resilience) and how these influence/are influenced by the areas above (e.g. coach attributes etc). For example you may choose to focus your studies on: The impact of coach leadership behaviours and the influence of athlete attributes and environmental factors.

The module will aim to develop online communities of students to discuss and share experiences via an online platform (Moodle, WebEx).

The specific nature of your project will be agreed at the onset through the learning agreement (formative assessment), and should be dictated by your development needs and interests as an athlete development practitioner.

Upon completion of this module you will be able to
LO1: Based on best evidence choose the relevant literature in relation to key areas of athletic development (i.e. coach attributes, athlete attributes, environmental factors, physiological characteristics, and psychological characteristics of developing excellence).
LO2: Critically evaluate the appropriate literature within your chosen area of interest, demonstrating the appropriate skills of an independent and autonomous learner.
LO3: Demonstrate your knowledge and experiences across key areas of athletes’ development, viewing the development environment in a holistic manner.
LO4: Apply your theoretical knowledge and personal reflections to help guide your future practice.