Psychology and Development Research Group

Promoting positive change in identity, performance and wellbeing

We work with all people interested in sport, physical activity, and physical education including:

Olympic and Paralympic athletes and UK institutes of sport
Professional and competitive sports teams
Community sports and physical activity groups
School and higher education institutions
Disabled and non-disabled athletes
Organisations supporting coaches, athletes, teachers, and professionals in the sports industry

Our vision is to be internationally recognised as leaders in generating and applying sociological and psychological knowledge in sport, physical activity, and physical education from grassroots to elite – as well as how this empowers the development of all people involved.

Our expertise

Our staff members are world-leading experts in innovative qualitative and quantitative research methods. We publish our work in peer reviewed journals and present at international conferences and national policy forums. Our research findings impact policy and practice in applied settings. Our main areas of expertise cover:

Study of the daily existence of athletes, physical activity participants, coaches and support staff and how they understand themselves and others within their environments using a wide range of cutting edge, multidisciplinary scientific approaches
Being able to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions promoting positive changes to player, physical activity participants, coach, support staff and sport science practitioner identity, performance and wellbeing, both during and after their sport-related careers
Exploring how the sport and physical activity culture informs effective coaching, teaching, sport science, and sport psychology service delivery and how people working in this context can be developed within their professional training
Critically exploring the conditions that constrain and various marginalised groups, such as disabled sports participants

Collaborations

Staff members have extensive networks with numerous national and international elite and professional sporting organisations, International and national Para sport agencies, local authorities, NHS and community organisations, schools, and professional bodies, providing our students with research and placement opportunities. Examples include professional UK and European professional football, cricket, and rugby teams, The Horseracing industry, Olympic sports, and UK institutes of sport. Our work and collaborations have led to successful research tenders, commissioned projects and international conference organisation.

Publications

Search through our selected publications:

Search for a research paper

14 papers found

Journal article

Feedforward practices: a systematic review of the literature

Sadler I and Reimann N and Sambell K

Publish date:09/05/2022

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Journal article

The role and creation of pressure in training: Perspectives of athletes and sport psychologists

Low WR, Freeman P, Butt J and Stoker M and Maynard I

Publish date:22/04/2022

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Journal article

An audit of performance nutrition services in English soccer academies: implications for optimising player development

Carney DJ, Hannon MP, Coleman NM, Murphy RC and Close GL and Morton JP

Publish date:23/03/2022

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Journal article

Planning, Delivering, and Evaluating Formalised Sport Coach Mentoring: Exploring the Role of the Programme Director

Sawiuk R, Thomas L and Lewis C and Groom R

Publish date:01/03/2022

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Journal article

It looks like he cares, but he doesn’t.”: Athletes’ experiences of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ care in women’s football

Lewis C and Sawiuk R and Grimes S

Publish date:27/02/2022

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Journal article

Differences in older adult walking football initiation and maintenance influences across respondent characteristics: A cross-sectional survey

Cholerton R, Butt J and Quirk H and Breckon J

Publish date:26/02/2022

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