Method: Participants were 155 ADs (37% response rate) from one state in the Southern United States who completed an online survey designed for the study by an expert panel. On average, participants reported 8.7 years (SD = 7.36) of experience as AD, 19.52 (SD = 7.36) years as a coach, and oversaw 30 coaches each.
Analysis/Results: Using a six-point Likert scale (1, strongly agree to 6, strongly disagree), participants believed first year teachers to be unprepared for their coaching duties (M = 2.73, SD = 1.10). Furthermore, they were supportive of a collegiate education program being more likely to hire someone with such a qualification (M = 2.42, SD = 1.21), and believed they could work better him or her (M = 2.46, SD = 1.03). There was less support for the suggestion that coaches with a kinesiology background were better coaches (M = 3.62, SD = 1.32) and that an online program was equally effective as one conducted face-to-face (M = 4.32, SD = 1.11). All courses that were suggested as important for a coaching education program received significant support (>70%) with the exception of motor learning (40%). Crosstabulation analyses revealed that those with greater AD experience were less likely to support motor learning, exercise physiology, and sports administration as required courses for the program.
Conclusions: Findings indicate that ADs strongly support academic coursework for prospective coaches; however, an online format was not well-supported, and it was not believed that a kinesiology background was a prerequisite to be a successful coach. Therefore, the development of collegiate content specific to coaching rather than a general kinesiology program is an important clarification, and would be well-received by public high school ADs in states where such an education is not a mandated requirement.