Page 46 - Producing a Video to Communicate a New Model of Coaching to GAA Coaches

suitability within my places of work and study (Appropriateness), and for genuine

reflection of my values, and those of my organisation (Authenticity).

Rigour

Rigour looks at the systematic application of certain principles and techniques to my
research to ensure its credibility. Winter’s (1989) criteria of rigour identify established

principles for testing claims in the context of action research. They are; ‘Reflexive

Critique’, ‘Dialectical Critique’, ‘Collaboration’, ‘Risk’, ‘Plural Structure’ and ‘Theory,
Practice, Transformation’.

Given that my declared values of passion, collaboration, community and

responsibility are intimately related to the action research process I undertook, I
focussed on ensuring I lived those values in the context of my practice (Dialectical

Critique). Given the iterative nature of the action research process I wanted to ensure I
engaged in a balanced process of action and reflection (Reflexive Critique) whereby

reflection on my practice was regularly prompted by new learning from application and
from feedback on the ‘performance’ of my evolving artefact. Each iterative

performance engaged my vulnerability to the potential identification of improvements in

my practice (Risk) as I subjected my work and thinking at regular intervals to honest
critique by my co-researchers (Collaboration).

Triangulation of knowledge from the literature (Theory) with feedback from my

collaborators along with evidence of changes in my own thinking and practice from my
journals and the video artefact provide verification for my claims and any subsequent

changes made to my practice and the artefact itself (Transformation).

Ethical Considerations

Ethics can be defined as a set of principles of conduct or a system of moral values

(Thiroux and Kraseman, 2009). To ensure the ethical nature of my research I looked to

the consent and confidentiality of my participants. To ensure the protection of all
participants in my research I evaluated the context for the research and concluded it did

not require any participant to act outside the bounds of their normal participation in
Gaelic games or their regular participation in the various mechanisms through which

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