Coaching Values and Life Skills through Physical Education and Sports

This impactful resource guide is for international educators and practitioners involved in Physical Education and Sport (PES) who want to learn evidence-based approaches to the teaching of values and character education.

Through a systematic approach to teaching and evaluating values and character education, this book bridges the gap between theory and practice. It offers empirical evidence and strategies to show how values and character can be internalized, through carefully designed experiences, active participation, and regular reinforcement, without compromising the time needed to learn sports skills - a common concern raised by PE teachers and sports coaches. Results from case studies have also revealed that values can be transferred beyond the context of physical education lessons and sports through a collaborative approach and effective communication between teachers, coaches, and parents. Key strategies based on empirical evidence are highlighted in this book. It also highlights an Asian perspective on values and life skills training through Physical Education and provides readers with step-by-step implementation guidelines to simplify some complex strategies in developing values and life skills through PES seamlessly.

The book provides useful information to anyone engaged in developing young people in, and through, sport. In particular it will be of great value to pre-service and in-service teachers and coaches for implementing effective strategies to balance teaching sports skills, values, and life skills effectively in PES.

Koon Teck Koh is an Associate Professor at the Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS) Academic Group, National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. His research areas are in sports coaching and pedagogy. He has published more than one hundred publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book chapters, and professional articles. He is also a registered FIBA coach and coach developer recognized by FIBA and Sport Singapore. Dr. Koh held numerous prominent appointments at the international and local levels. These include President of the ASEAN Council of Physical Education and Sport, Executive Board member of the World Association for Basketball Coaches, FIBA Technical Commission, Chairman of the FIBA Asia Coaches Committee, Head, PESS/NIE/NTU, President of the Basketball Association of Singapore, President of the Singapore Physical Education Association, and Executive Council member of the Singapore National Olympics Council (SNOC).

Tarkington J Newman is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work and the Director of the Sport Social Work (SSW) Research Lab. Additionally, they serve as the Research Committee Chair for the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports (aswis.org). Through the SSW Research Lab, Dr. Newman is committed to serving youth populations (ages 10-24) who are socially vulnerable and/or at-risk for behavioral and mental health problems. Dr. Newman’s research focuses on promoting critical positive youth development (CPYD) through sport and other forms of physical activity, specifically related to the development and transfer of normative life skills (e.g., emotional regulation, communication, teamwork, leadership) and social justice life skills (e.g., antiracism, LGBTQ+ allyship, healthy masculinity, mental health literacy).

Muhammad Shufi bin Salleh is a Teaching Fellow in the Physical Education & Sports Science Department at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore