Showing papers by "Deakin University published in 1970"

Coping under pressure: Strategies for maintaining confidence amongst South African soccer coaches

Abstract: Sport coaching can be a fulfilling and rewarding occupation, but can also be stressful because of the demands and expectations of various external factors. The complex and extraordinary demands placed on coaches, force them to perform multiple roles (e.g. educator, motivator, counsellor, adviser, trainer, manager and administrator). Soccer coaches face a number of challenges, frustrations, conflicts and tensions, the enormity of which is often underestimated. This notion is supported by the description of coaching as a perilous occupation in which coaches experience pressures like stress, conflict and tension, media pressure and intrusions into family life. This study explored the perceptions of South African soccer coaches in terms of the mechanisms they use to cope with potential stressors experienced in their jobs and employed a non-experimental design, using a quantitative approach, to assess stress and coping strategies of South African coaches. One hundred and twelve soccer coaches, coaching at the provincial level and higher, completed a questionnaire on stress and stress coping mechanisms used in their coaching jobs. Descriptive data analysis was completed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS – version 16). The sources of stress experienced and coping methods used by the coaches were evaluated. Results revealed that the top three sources of stress were a lack of resources, fixture backlog and games where the outcome is critical, whilst the lowest three sources of stress were political interference, physical assaults from players and substituting a player. Moreover, various coping strategies used by the coaches showed that an average of 5.68%, 5.14% and 89.78% of the sample used maladaptive coping, emotion management coping and problem management coping strategies respectively. Academic and practical implications of the study results are discussed. Opsomming Sport afrigting kan ’n baie vervullende en bevredigende beroepskeuse wees, maar as gevolg van die eise en verwagtinge van verskeie omgewings faktore, kan dit ook as ’n spanningsvolle beroep ervaar word. Afrigters moet verskeie rolle vertolk (o.a. opvoeder, motiveerder, sielkundige, adviseerder, afrigter, bestuurder en administrateur) wat deel uitmaak van die komplekse en buitengewone eise wat op hulle geplaas word. Sokker afrigters beleef ’n aantal uitdagings, konflik situasies, frustrasies en spanning waarvan die impak of waarde daarvan selde gemeet kan word. Afrigting as ’n konsep word beskryf of gedefinieer as ’n potensieel onveilige en/of wisselvallige beroep waar die meerderheid afrigters spanning ervaar, konflik beleef, media druk moet verwerk en ’n geweldige inbreuk op hul persoonlike en familielewe ervaar. Hierdie studie ondersoek Suid-Afrikaanse sokker afrigters se persepsies aangaande die meganismes wat hulle gebruik om die potensiele spanning van hul beroep te bestuur. Die studie is gebaseer op ’n nie-eksperimentele ontwerp met ’n kwantitatiewe benadering van Suid-Afrikaanse sokker afrigters om spanning te evalueer en te bestuur. Een honderd en twaalf sokker afrigters wat op provinsiale vlak of hoer afgerig het, het vraelyste ingevul aangaande spanning en spanning hanteringstegnieke wat in hul afrigtingsberoepe gebruik is. Beskrywende data analise is met behulp van ’n statistiese pakket in Sosiale Wetenskap (SPSS-weergawe 16) gedoen. Die oorsake van spanning asook die hanteringstegnieke wat deur die afrigters gebruik is, is geevalueer. Die resultate het bevind dat daar drie duidelike oorsake van spanning was, naamlik ’n tekort aan hulpbronne, die akkumulasie van geskeduleerde wedstryde asook wedstryde waarvan die uitslag krities is. Die drie laagste oorsake van spanning was onder andere politieke inmenging, fisiese aanranding deur spelers en die vervanging van spelers. Die afrigters het ’n verskeidenheid van spannings hanteringstegnieke gebruik, maar die resultate toon dat 5.68%, 5.14% en 89.78% van die eksperimentele groep oneffektiewe spannings-, emosionele- en probleem bestuurstegnieke geimplementeer het. Akademiese en praktiese implikasies van die navorsingsresultate word bespreek.

"We Prefer the Friendly Approach and Not the Facility": On the Value of Qualitative Research in Ethiopia.

Abstract: Background Quantitative research is useful for answering 'how many' or 'how much' questions, while qualitative research helps answer 'why' and 'how' questions. Most research about health extension workers (HEWs) has been quantitative and few studies examine the experiences of HEWs themselves. This qualitative study draws attention to the gendered dynamics of human resources for health at the community level. Methods Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 14 HEWs (two FGDs in Afar Region and two in Southern Nations Nationality and Peoples Region), and interviews with 45 HEWs from Afar Region, SNNPR and Adwa (Tigray Region) were conducted to identify how gender issues affected their well-being. Questions were designed to explore personal safety, stress, autonomy, self-esteem, family, other social relationships, as we wanted to analyze the extent to which these gendered issues affected HEWs in their day-to-day work. Results By employing female HEWs, the Health Extension Program (HEP) has seen substantial gains in 'practical' gender needs by improving women's access to, and utilization of maternal and child health services. Although the HEP has the potential to be gender transformative by providing employment for HEWs, there is limited evidence that it 'strategically' advances women's position. Many HEWs had heavy workloads, received low pay relative to other public sector jobs and lacked opportunity to transfer or upgrade their skills and advance within the health workforce hierarchy. Conclusion Qualitative research can provide complex descriptions of the social world to better understand what people such as HEWs say and the meanings they give, thus providing explanations for some health problems outside disciplinary boundaries.