Browsing by Author "Neuvonen, Petteri"

In recent years, children’s sports club activities have become more popular and children join clubs younger than before. Coaches have a key role in reaching both sporting and educational goals. The purpose of this thesis was to research how Finnish scientific texts have dealt with the role of sports coach as an educator over the last 20 years. A descriptive literature review was used as a research method, in which the methodological rules didn’t limit the choice of material. The aim, however, was to describe the role of a sports coach as an educator broadly and to classify its features. Clubs offering sports activities for children play a part in children’s physical education. In physical education, exercise is viewed from education’s point of view and its objectives are divided into two parts: education for physical activity and education through physical activity. Sports clubs can support the development of children comprehensively, as children participating in sports club activities are often very interested in sports. On the other hand, the big-gest challenge for clubs in terms of physical education is the heterogeneous know-how of coaches. Children’s coaches’ educational responsibility is inevitable, as sports are used to create educational situations where it is possible to influence the children’s behaviour and thinking. Coaches use a variety of means to support the achievement of educational goals. The guiding factor for a coach is his or hers educational consciousness, which means the coach’s awareness of how to act as an educator. The conclusion of this thesis is that the educational competence of children’s sports coach enables high quality sports education in sports clubs. The results of this thesis can be used to develop coaching for children and to educate coaches. Further research on developing sport’s coaches’ educational skills is needed.