Designing a Model for Coaching National Teams Based on Grounded Theory and Interpretive Structural Model

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
mahdi mohamadrahimi 1
Zahra Nobakht Ramezani 2
Azam Abdollahpour 2
fariba mohamadian 2
1 PhD student in sports management, Qazvin branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran
2 Faculty Islamic Azad University of Qazvin
10.22034/ntsmj.2025.2039915.1107
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to design a development model for national team coaches based on Grounded Theory and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). This research was conducted using a mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) approach. The participants were 27 sports coaches with national-level experience, who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and a structural self-interaction matrix and were analyzed using coding methods and ISM analysis. The findings led to the identification of seventeen determining factors in the development of national team coaches, and the relationships among these factors were organized into a hierarchical model. This model showed that the coach development process led to achieving international prestige for the country and the employment of sports professionals in the global arena, with its roots lying in needs assessment and comparative benchmarking. The results indicated that the development of national team coaches was a complex and multi-level process. Therefore, to fully benefit from it, it was essential to pay attention to all factors, which were interconnected like a chain.
Keywords
National Team
Development
Sports Coach
Interpretive Structural Modeling
Grounded Theory
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