The building of identity in coaches’ professional socialization

between the craft school and the academy

Abstract

This study has aimed to analyze the process of professional identity formation of youth basketball coaches. A qualitative method was used according to the ethno-sociological perspective and based on the assumptions of 13 basketball coaches’ life narratives, also using the narrative interview as a technique for data collection. The results revealed the process of professional identity formation of the studied coaches resulting comes from successive socialization processes of their personal and professional journey. The coaches’ identities emerged from interplay between the coaches’ biographical and relational trajectories, confirming the relevance of professional experience in the field acquired through immersion in sports culture. On the one hand, that is strongly marked by an artisan type of education, a “craft school”, a traditional process of apprentice training by a master craftsman and on the other hand, it is questioned by the mechanisms of training of Physical Education courses. Finally, by drawing way of conclusion, we have identified the emergence of two identity profiles among those surveyed coaches, namely: the craft identity and the identity in mobility.