'Questioning in Coaching Leads to Learning’: A Deconstruction of Questioning

This chapter looks at the coach behaviour of questioning and how it has increased in popularity as a pedagogical tool. Questioning has been highlighted as an important pedagogical strategy if coaches want to develop desirable learner characteristics such as the development of decision-making, creative thinking skills and game understanding. Although this can be achieved, research in sports coaching and education, including physical education, has found those using them mostly ask ‘fact-seeking’ questions that do not require learners to think past the recall of information. Despite suggestions made that questioning is a learner-centred approach to coaching, the current use of questioning tends to position the coach as the primary decision maker and the learner as a passive recipient. Coaches therefore need to consider the types of questions they implement, how they use them and when, with the aim of creating an environment that enables dialogue to occur with their athletes/players. Consequently, learners will get the opportunity to explore and reflect on their ideas in order to generate new meaning. Coaches’ application of questions, guaranteeing learning, should not be taken for granted. This chapter then looks to problematise the rising popularity of questioning in sport coaching.