Routledge Conducting Practitioner Research in Physical Education and Youth Sport: Reflecting on Practice

There is now a widespread expectation that teachers and coaches should be reflective practitioners, an expectation written into national standards of education in many countries. This innovative book introduces the methods by which teachers and coaches can conduct research into their own professional practice and therefore become more effective reflective practitioners, improving their students’ learning as a result. As the only book on practitioner research that focuses specifically on the unique challenges of working in a physical education or youth sport environment, it uses real-life case studies and applied practical examples to guide the reader through the research process step-by-step. Examining the what, why and how of four key research methods in particular – action research, narrative enquiry, autoethnography and self-study – it provides an expert analysis of the strengths and limitations of each method and demonstrates how conducting reflective research can produce tangible results in improving both teaching and learning. This is an invaluable resource for all those interested in enhancing their professional development as students, practitioners or researchers of physical education and youth sport. Review "Conducting Practitioner Research in Physical Education and Youth Sport has much to offer for students commencing their research journey, academics seeking to explore new methods, and practitioners working as teachers/coaches in school and youth sport settings. This book encourages practitioners to take on the role of researcher to learn about ways to improve practice within the workplace through action research, narrative inquiry, autoethnography, and self-study. Overall, the text achieves its purpose of describing what these methods involve, why they are valuable and, most importantly, how they can be easily translated into practice across multiple contexts." – Andrew Bennie, Western Sydney University, Sport, Education and Society About the Author Ashley Casey is a Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy at Loughborough University, UK Tim Fletcher is an Associate Professor in Physical Education at Brock University, Canada Lee Schaefer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at McGill University, Canada. Doug Gleddie is Associate Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta, Canada