An explorative study of Makana local football association coaches characteristics, experiences and needs
- Authors: Callow, Gavin
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Makana Local Football Association (South Africa) , Football -- Coaching -- South Africa , Football coaches -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/138785 , vital:37672
- Description: Introduction: Sports participation has been associated with a number of benefits to young athletes, outside of purely physical health. One of the key components of a successful sports talent identification and development program is effective coaching. A foundation of effective coaching is the coach’s knowledge which can be developed through formal, non-formal and informal means of education. The majority of coach education literature has however focused on coaches from developed countries. Limited studies have looked at the educational experiences and needs of South African coaches, particularly football coaches. The purpose of the current investigation is to establish Local Football Association (LFA) coaches’ perceptions of their educational backgrounds and what knowledge they deem important to be effective coaches. Method: A mixed methods approach was used in which (n=25) Makana LFA coaches answered a questionnaire with the aim of identifying their educational histories and what their current educational needs were. A semi-structured interview was also implemented in which some of the respondents (n=4) were asked more in-depth questions around the same topics, to create a more complete coaching profile. Results: The questionnaire responses highlighted that only 8% of the coaches possess a formal coaching qualification and all of the coaches work on a volunteer basis. Previous experience as a player is the chief source of knowledge for Makana LFA coaches. Not having enough available time is the main perceived barrier for 56% of participants to seeking out further educational opportunities. Fundamentals of coaching was selected by 56% of the coaches as a key subject they want to learn more about. Findings from the interview demonstrate that participants coach multiple teams and often have to rely on senior players to take up assistant coach positions, as well as managing their time effectively to work with all their teams. Informal education is the main source of information for the coaches which includes asking for advice, reading coaching manuals or having a mentor. The coaches value all 3 forms of education, however non-formal workshops are favoured. This is due to all of the coaches already having some form of informal learning experience and formal learning opportunities being too costly to pursue. A combination of lectures, practical sessions and group discussions is desired as a delivery method of coaching knowledge. Discussion: The level of coaching qualifications in the LFA is low, this may have significant implications for talent identification and development in the Sarah Baartman region. All the coaches are volunteer coaches, who primarily rely on informal means of coaching education. ‘Time’ was indicated to be a major barrier, to coaches seeking out educational opportunities. Coaches indicated that they would benefit from a coaching program if it took into consideration their needs, such as wanting to learn more about interpersonal and intrapersonal awareness. Conclusion: If local coaching programs are to be effective, they must reflect the educational needs of their community.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Decent work and informal employment: the case of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province (Central Business District) Zimbabwe
- Authors: Bob, Shaka Keny
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Labor -- Zimbabwe , Informal sector (Economics) -- Zimbabwe , Job creation -- Zimbabwe , Poor -- Zimbabwe -- Employment , Labor policy -- Zimbabwe , Football coaches -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115241 , vital:34104
- Description: Zimbabwe, similar to other developing countries experiences a high level of informal employment. However, most informal jobs are situated in very poor working conditions and are characterised by decent work deficits. Despite the fact that various studies have shown the importance of the informal economy in that it provides livelihood earning opportunities for the majority of people in the Global South, it has remained a largely forgotten sector in policy making in most countries. It is, therefore, important that informal work be taken seriously and efforts must be made to improve working conditions for the urban working poor in the developing world. The purpose of this study is to investigate on the self-reported experiences of informal workers to understand their perspectives surrounding the concept of decent work in the Zimbabwean context. The case study is the Bulawayo metropolitan province, and this study targeted informal workers who trade within the central business district. The study also aimed to measure the decent work deficit scores between two economic sectors (food and clothing traders). This was done by testing the suitability of the Edward Webster Decent Work Deficit Index as a methodology of measuring decent work at a micro level. The analysis is based on a mixed methods study which was carried out through the use of a semi-structured survey. The study revealed that decent work for the sampled informal workers meant work related improvements, insurances and risk management, right of expression and business advancement skills which closely resembles the International Labour Organisation's conceptualisation of decent work. The study also highlighted that childcare assistance and disability insurance are concepts which remained excluded in the current conceptualisation of decent work. The thesis offers a new policy angle which shows that to promote decent work the concept of heterogeneity must be adopted because inequalities persist within the informal economy. The study also suggested that the Edward Webster Decent Work Deficit Index can be used as an appropriate methodology of monitoring the progress towards achieving decent work at the micro level i.e. industry or individual level. This is because since the formation of the decent work concept; the International Labour Organisation has only provided a methodology of how to measure the progress of decent work at the county level. The survey findings revealed that food vendors scored more poorly on the decent work deficit index compared to the clothing traders. The study also identified that food vendors and clothing traders are faced with different challenges which suggests that policy makers must take that into consideration when attempting to design policies or programmes which are aimed at assisting informal workers.
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- Date Issued: 2020