Our Research Studies on Youth Sports Coaching

Coach Beyond researchers study key topics in sport coaching. Specifically, Coach Beyond researchers investigate coaching practices that best promote social emotional learning in youth sport athletes. Learn more about Coach Beyond research below!

Data Dashboards

Ohio Coach Survey Wave 2: Data Dashboard

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, PhD, LISW-S, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, PhD, LISW-S, CMPC, Tony Amrose, PhD, & Kylee J. Ault-Baker, PhD, CMPC
  • Overview: This Data Dashboard provides a comprehensive look at 6,395 coaches across Ohio. Conducted during fall 2025 and spring 2026, the survey informs the ongoing Coach Beyond initiative to strengthen coach education and outreach to go beyond the X’s and O’s. Users can explore statewide findings, compare results across key demographic groups, and examine trends on training needs and interests.
  • View the Dashboard. *NOTE: best used on a desktop device, not mobile devices.

Reports

Coach Beyond Randomized Study: Preliminary Findings

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, PhD, LISW,  Dawn Anderson-Butcher, PhD, LISW-S, CMPC, & Kylee J. Ault-Baker, PhD, CMPC
  • Overview: In fall 2025, researchers at LiFEsports at The Ohio State University conducted a randomized study to examine the

    impact of Coach Beyond coach training and the Life & Leadership Through Sport student-athlete curriculum on coach behaviors and student-athlete outcomes. 

  • Read the Report
  • Review the Preliminary Data Slide Deck

National Coach Survey

  • Authors: Dawn Anderson-Butcher, PhD, LISW-S & Samantha Bates, PhD, LSW
  • Overview: The 2022 National Coach Survey is the first-ever survey in the U.S. to examine youth sport coaches’ backgrounds, experiences, philosophies, behaviors, and training histories and interests, while also exploring whether coach training makes a difference in relation to improved coaching practices and, ultimately, perceived impact on athletes. Findings provide useful information about youth sport coaching in the U.S. and can be used to drive improvements in youth sport policy, practice, coach preparation, and training.
  • Read the Executive Summary
  • Read the report

State-Wide Survey of Ohio Coaches

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, PhD, LSW & Dawn Anderson-Butcher, PhD, LISW-S
  • Overview: This report overviews the progress on Coach Beyond… priorities and goals with specific focus on findings from our audit of coach certification/licensure requirements and our state-wide survey of Ohio youth sport coaches.
  • Read the Report

Research Articles

Mapping School-Based Coach Education Requirements in the United States

  • Authors: Obidiah Atkinson, Samantha Bates, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Sydney Mack, and Jacqueline Goodway
  • Overview: This article explores the coach education requirements, time commitment, topics, and cost within each state of the United States of America. It also dives deep into the requirements within the State of Ohio.
  • Read The Journal

Mental Health Training for High School Coaches and Athletic Directors: Community-based Participatory Research to Coach Beyond

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Doug Ute, Dale McVey, Sydney Mack, Emily Nothnagle, Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian, Jerome Davis, Josh DeVoll, Joe Vassaloti, Jason Hix, Kaz Pata, Chris Ludban, Nathan Bobek, Keith Myers, Kevin Porter, Jeff Quackenbush, Joe Roberts, Nick Hajjar, Pat Durbin, Tyler Wolfe, and Nick Magistrale
  • Overview: This article describes a community-based participatory study, “Coach Beyond,” including the decision-making processes that lead to the co-development of mental health training for coaches. It also describes the factors that supported social change efforts to reinforce sport as a context for holistic student-athlete development and wellness through coach education.
  • Read the Journal

Coach Training Participation and Athlete Life Skill Development: Findings from The U.S. National Coach Survey

  • Authors: Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Samantha Bates, & Meng-Ting Lo
  • Overview: This article used data from the U.S. National Coach Survey to explore how coach training participation impacts perceptions of athletes’ life skill development.
  • Read the Journal

Resilience Training for High School Student-Athletes: A Pilot of the Life and Leadership Through Sport Series

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, Emily Nothnagle, & Kethan Mokadam
  • Overview: This article describes the development of the six-session Life and Leadership Through Sport series, designed to help high school student-athletes build resilience and leadership skills. Learning outcomes and evaluation data are reported from the pilot sessions.
  • Read the Journal

School Coaches in the United States: Insights from the National Coach Survey

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, Vincent F. Minjares, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Jennifer Brown Lerner, & Jon Solomon
  • Overview: This article shares findings from the U.S. National Coach Survey, highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing school coaches.
  • Read the Journal 

Beyond the Scoreboard: School-Based Sport Experiences and High School Student-Athlete Well-Being

  • Authors: Samantha Bates, Sydney Mack, & Emily Nothnagle
  • Overview: This article explored how recent changes, such as COVID-19, are affecting high school athletes. Student-athletes shared in focus groups that they feel a lot of pressure to perform but are struggling to keep up, showing a need for more support from coaches and schools.
  • Read the Journal

Mental Health Training for Coaches: A Policy, Practice, and Research Commentary

  • Authors: Samantha Bates & ObidiahAtkinson
  • Overview: This article highlights the need for mental health training for coaches, especially in school sports. Current policies, best practices, and research are discussed.
  • Read the Journal

Leveraging Sport as a Context for Character Development: The Benefits for Coaches

  • Authors: Samantha Bates & Dawn Anderson-Butcher
  • Overview: This article investigates how training in character development, such as life skill development and morals and ethics, can impact coaches. Coaches who had this training in these areas felt more confident, were more satisfied, had better win records, and were more likely to report a desire to continue coaching than those who hadn’t received such training.
  • Read the Journal

If you have any questions or interests in any of these research projects, please contact us.

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