Situating Learning: (Re)Examining the Notion of Apprenticeship in Coach Education

Abstract

The last two decades has seen a proliferation in the provision of and importance attached to coach education in many Western countries [1] Pivotal to many coach education programmes is the notion of apprenticeship [2,3,4]. Increasingly, mentoring is being positioned as a possible tool for enhancing coach education and professional expertise [5]. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on interventions in and evaluations of coach education programmes. In their recent evaluation of a coach education programme, Cassidy, Potrac & McKenzie [6] conclude that the situated learning literature could provide coach educators with a generative platform for the (re)examination of apprenticeships and mentoring in a coach education context. This paper discusses the merits of using Situated Learning theory [7] and the associated concept of Communities of Practice (CoP) [8] to stimulate discussion on developing new understandings of the practices of apprenticeship and mentoring in coach education.