Abstract

This study identifies the sources of knowledge that are most highly valued by school volleyball teacher/coaches in Santa Catarina, considering academic training, federative training, their experience as athletes and the cycles of professional development. The sample included 52 voluntary school volleyball coaches that operated in the state stages of the Santa Catarina School Games in 2022. The data were collected through the Coach Training Profile questionnaire, which includes three dimensions: Academic Training, Experience as an Athlete, and Professional Experience. The data were analyzed with SPSS software, version 20.0, with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. The results point towards a higher valuation of professional experience (42.08 ± 5.79) and academic training (41.19 ± 6.00) as sources of knowledge in the preparation for the training process. Teacher/coaches with a degree and/or a license that have less time of professional experience and no federative training ascribe significant value to the sources of knowledge acquired during their competitive sports experiences as athletes.

Keywords: professional development; teachers; coaches; school-age children