Exploring the processes of evidence-informed decision-making in applied sport psychology

Marie E. Winter, Paul Freeman, Murray Griffin, Andrew Soundy, Ian Maynard

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore evidence-informed decisions involved in designing psychological interventions for performance enhancement. Employing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, 10 experienced and 10 early career sport psychology practitioners participated in semi-structured interviews. All participants gained their qualified status through the British Psychological Society and were registered practitioner psychologists with the Health and Care Professions Council within the UK. Accordingly, results are reflective of the participants’ training and practice experiences. Four key categories of decision-making processes were constructed: gathering information about the athlete, using research evidence, drawing on experience and tacit knowledge, and integration. Our findings demonstrated the interactions between research-based and practice-based knowledge when designing interventions that suit the needs of the athlete, work pragmatically within the applied context, and have the desired effect on the intervention goal. Our findings provide a better understanding of the interactions and processes used by sport psychology practitioners in applied practice. Such an understanding may inform the construction of evidence-informed interventions that lead to better performance outcomes.

Lay Summary: This study explored the evidence-informed decision-making processes of 10 early career and 10 experienced, UK-based, sport psychology practitioners when designing interventions for athletes. Results highlighted the importance of integrating evidence from the athlete, research, and practice experiences to support evidence-informed decisions to enhance the performance of athletes.

Applied Implications
Our findings suggest that intervention design could be most effective when sport psychology practitioners integrate a range of evidence into their decision-making.

The evidence-informed decision-making model provides processes for practitioners to consider in practice, irrespective of their working environment and level of expertise.

Understanding evidence-informed decision-making processes could help to develop training opportunities to improve evidence-informed decision-making competence.