Sport and Physical Activity

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) PhD Studentships

We are seeking to recruit researchers with a passion that aligns with our multi-disciplinary groups focused on  practice in coaching and teaching, sport and exercise performance enhancement and (p)rehabilitation and sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing.  

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Key research themes and potential projects

Practice in coaching and teaching

The Practice in Coaching and Teaching Research Group is committed to the social and pedagogical analysis of practice in community and performance coaching, primary and secondary physical education and school sport, as well as the occupational training, education, and learning of workers in these spaces.  Particular attention is given to understanding the thoughts, feelings, rationales, and actions of those stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in the practice of coaching and physical education teaching across varied settings. The group’s research and knowledge exchange activities focus on supporting the learning and development of those working in coaching and teaching environments, encouraging them to reflect critically on individual, organisational, and sector practices in research-informed ways. Indicative examples of projects in this area may include (but are not limited to):

• How do sports workers or physical education practitioners navigate their workplace relations and what benefits and costs result from their interactional work?
• How and in what ways do workers interpret, translate, and enact sport and physical education policy and what are the various impacts upon the workforce and policy beneficiaries? 
• How do coaches utilise specific behaviours (e.g., questioning, feedback, silence) to facilitate athlete learning and what interventions might inform the development of coaching practice?
• What factors influence the pedagogical delivery of physical education in primary and secondary school environments and how does this impact on the experiences and learning of young people?
• What factors influence the occupational (non)learning of sports workers or physical education teachers and how might understanding inform their preparation and continuing professional development?

Sport and exercise performance enhancement and (p)rehabilitation

The Sport and Exercise Performance Enhancement and (P)rehabilitation Research Group is a collective of multi and interdisciplinary expertise reflecting the multi-factorial nature of performance and injury.  The academic focus includes biomechanics, physiology, sports therapy, and psychology, to provide a bespoke solution to the needs of a range of research and knowledge exchange users, including sport and exercise organisations, athletes, national governing bodies, equipment manufacturers, and members of the public. This group can provide elite laboratory and clinical evaluation, and/or bring science to users with our cutting-edge campus-based facilities.  Indicative examples of projects in this area may include (but are not limited to):

• Effective instructional and motivational approaches that enhance the learning and performance of movement skills.
• The psychological, social and cognitive factors in exercise and endurance activity participation.
• The effects of acute and chronic sport, exercise and physical activity on cognitive function.
• Factors influencing combat sport training and performance, with a focus on taekwondo and boxing.
• Physiological profiling, assessment and monitoring of athletes for performance enhancement and talent development.
• Use of wearable technologies (e.g., GPS, accelerometery, heart rate) for sport performance enhancement and injury prevention.
• Application of sports analytics techniques to evaluate the technical-tactical and physical performances of team sport athletes.
• Musculoskeletal profiling in sports (p)rehabilitation.

Sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing

The Sport, Physical Activity, Health and Wellbeing Research Group seeks to understand the influence of sport, exercise, and movement behaviours on the health and wellbeing of children, young people, and adults in sport, education, community, and clinical settings.  The group’s research and knowledge exchange activities also include a focus on designing and evaluating theory-led programmes and interventions to enhance health and wellbeing in different communities. We work in partnership with sport, education, community, health (e.g. NHS trusts), charity, and industry organisations to generate applied and clinical research evidence that has real-world impact. 

Indicative examples of projects in this area may include (but are not limited to):

• Physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep and their influence on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents
• Collaborative development of active schools using multi-level approaches
• Application of novel accelerometer methods and metrics to understand movement behaviours and associations with health in different populations
• Physical activity and exercise-based interventions to improve wellbeing and quality of life in clinical populations
• Identification of modifiable biomechanical factors influencing function or functional recovery in clinical populations.

In the first instance please direct all enquiries about proposed projects to Dr David Marchant.

Additional information about sport-related research at Edge Hill can be found on our research area web pages.  The University’s research repository also contains further information on the research outputs of each member of staff.

Find out more on our research area web pages Read more about our colleagues' research