3 Systematic observation

Systematic observation, if undertaken rigorously, is a more methodical form of observation that measures coach behaviour through a standardised and consistent approach. It is often used in research to provide numerical evidence (often percentages) for the analysis of coaching behaviours.

Figure 4 The systematic observation of coach behaviours requires a rigorous, methodical and consistent approach

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Figure 4 The systematic observation of coach behaviours requires a rigorous, methodical and consistent approach

One of the most popular methods is the Arizona State University Observation Instrument (ASUOI) developed by Lacy and Darst (1984). This has fourteen categories that describe different coaching behaviours. For example, here are two coach behaviour categories from the ASUOI:

• Questioning: Any question to athletes concerning strategies or techniques
• Praise: Verbal or non-verbal compliments, statements or signs of acceptance.

Imagine using this with the snooker coach (Video 1), noting the number of instances when the coach asked questions or gave praise. Another approach is to time how long a coach is using these behaviours for. The final output for such analysis is a profile of the proportions of different behaviours being used by the coach under observation.

In the following activity you hear academic Chris Cushion discussing systematic observation.

Activity 3 Systematic observation: how aware are coaches of their behaviour?

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

In Video 2 Chris Cushion is presenting at the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA, Ireland) coach development conference. Turn your attention to the bullet point on ‘Interventions’ which is what Cushion is addressing as the video begins.

Answer this question: how aware are coaches of their coaching behaviours? For example, a coach might claim, ‘I use a bit of questioning but a lot more silence’. This could be tested with systematic observation – so if the coach demonstrates questioning behaviours =

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Transcript: Video 2

CHRIS CUSHION

As you see, we can use the data as feedback. So we can give the coaches information back, we can reinforce the type of behaviours that we want, and we can make recommendations for practise. That's a really useful device, starting with what coaches do. So this research has been going on, as I say, since the '70s in coaching. And there are some implications from it. And I'll just quickly skip over those.

Number one, the most important thing that we find again and again and again, everyone talks a great game. But when we actually observe them, we find low self-awareness. So if we get 10 coaches in a room and ask them to explain their behaviour to us, only two of them will get it right. Eight of them will get it wrong. So 80% of coaches probably don't understand their own coaching behaviour, and it's a pretty consistent finding when we start looking at objective measures of coaching behaviour. Interestingly, if we ask the athletes the data switches, so if we get 10 athletes and ask them to describe their coach's behaviour, eight of them get it right and only two of them get it wrong.

So if I want to know about you as a coach, yeah, I ain't talking to you, I'm going to go and talk to your athletes, because they will give me a better and more accurate description of what you do as a coach than you will. OK, so that's quite important. So that self-awareness is really interesting and important. It happens again and again and again. There's a huge consistency in the data. So just an example here-- I use a lot of questioning, so I tend to spend about a week with a coach if they're full time, maybe a bit longer to get that baseline analysis. One coach in particular, tell me about your coaching. Oh, yeah, I used to be really directed, but now I use a lot of questioning. A great quote-- I use a lot of questioning. At the end of the week, his questioning behaviour was 3.4% of his overall profile. So 96% point something of his behaviour wasn't questioning. So that, to me, isn't I use a lot of questioning. That's something else. That's something else.

End transcript: Video 2

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Discussion

Cushion explains how systematic observation if done well can be useful for establishing a baseline of coaching behaviours, yet he explains that eight out of ten coaches are not aware of the proportions of their behaviours in sessions. Coaches ‘talk the talk’ about what they do but are not accurate in describing it; he recommends asking athletes or using systematic observation as a far more reliable measure of what happens in sessions.

Observation instruments such as the ASUOI, while primarily a research tool, can also be used by coach developers to support development. Their use will give you a different type of information – not necessarily better information – but just as an observation form guides your observation and what you are looking for, so too does a numerically based instrument. Systematic observation can, however, provide the basis for a good conversation starter and it can be hard to argue against the reality of the data produced. But again, its success depends on the rigour and accuracy of the initial observation and collection of data – this has to be systematic and rigorous.

Perhaps one of the most important considerations in any observation process is setting up and planning the observation and this is what you turn to next.