Narelle Eather

This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle offers an exciting opportunity to explore organised sport as a key setting for developing physical literacy in children and adolescents. The project aims to advance understanding of how sport can more deliberately and effectively support the development of physical literacy, with a particular focus on enhancing the capability of sports coaches and providers, including community clubs and schools. Sport is widely recognised as a powerful context for youth development, yet many programs remain structured around narrow participation or performance outcomes. This research positions physical literacy—integrating physical, psychological, social, and cognitive capabilities—as a central principle for quality sport experiences and lifelong engagement. Grounded in the Australian Physical Literacy Framework and aligned with the Physical Literacy Coalition's strategic priorities, the project responds to national calls to embed physical literacy consistently across systems, settings, and the workforce. The study will investigate how coaches, sports organisations, and providers can be better supported to understand, enact, and sustain physical literacy–focused practices in diverse sport and education contexts. Using a mixed-methods, co-design research approach, the project will be conducted in three phases: Examining current understandings, beliefs, and delivery practices related to physical literacy among coaches, teachers, and sport administrators working with children and adolescents. Surveys, interviews, and observational methods will identify how physical literacy is conceptualised, the extent to which it is intentionally targeted, and perceived enablers and constraints within different organisational and cultural settings. Collaborating with coaches, sporting organisations, and schools to co-design practical strategies and supports that enhance physical literacy–aligned practice. These may include coaching prompts, planning tools, professional learning modules, and adaptable program design principles to address holistic outcomes across physical, psychological, social, and cognitive domains. Piloting and evaluating the implementation of these supports within real-world sport programs. Evaluation will focus on feasibility, acceptability, changes in coaching practice, and perceived impacts on children’s physical literacy experiences. Validated physical literacy measures will inform understanding of children’s perceived development over time. The project is expected to generate applied, practice-relevant evidence to inform coach education, sport program design, and organisational policy. By bridging research, workforce development, and system-level priorities, this PhD will contribute to national efforts to ensure sport environments consistently support the foundations, confidence, and motivation required for children and adolescents to be active for life. Funding for this PhD scholarship includes a living allowance of $38,938 per annum (2026 rate), indexed annually, and covers tuition fees for 3.5 years. Scholarships also include up to $1,500 relocation support. The project is supervised by Professor Narelle Eather and is available to domestic students. Applicants must have experience in sports coaching, sports participation, coach education, physical literacy, physical education, or a sport-related field, and meet the minimum eligibility criteria for PhD admission. Candidates must be able to commence by 01/06/2026. To apply, send an email expressing your interest, including scanned academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal linking to the project to [email protected] by 5pm on 30 April 2026. For further information, visit the application link provided.

This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle offers an exciting opportunity to explore how cultural factors shape sports coaching practices and the sporting experiences of participants across Australia. The project is closely aligned with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) coach development priorities and aims to strengthen cultural capability within the sports sector, supporting inclusive and positive participation for children, adolescents, and adults. Coaches are positioned as key agents in delivering safe, inclusive, and positive sport experiences that foster participation, retention, and wellbeing across diverse communities. As sport environments become increasingly diverse, coaches must navigate cultural differences related to identity, communication, values, power, and expectations. However, many coaches currently rely on informal learning and personal experience, with limited access to structured, evidence-informed support through formal coach education and professional development. This gap reflects national challenges around workforce capability, consistency, and quality in coaching practice. Drawing on contemporary coaching research and socioecological perspectives, the study will examine how personal, environmental, organisational, and societal cultural factors influence coaching behaviours, interpersonal interactions, and decision-making, particularly in community sport and school settings. The research will pay special attention to how coaches understand and respond to cultural factors influencing participation and engagement, including experiences of inclusion, belonging, motivation, psychological safety, and athlete wellbeing—outcomes prioritised within ASC policy and strategic frameworks. The project will use a mixed-methods research design, initially exploring coaches’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices related to culture through surveys, interviews, and observational methods. This phase will identify key enablers and barriers to culturally responsive coaching, as well as misalignments between coaches’ intentions and enacted practice. Based on these findings, the project will adopt a co-design approach with coaches, coach educators, and sporting organisations to develop practical tools, learning resources, and professional development strategies that can be embedded within existing ASC-aligned coach education and workforce development pathways. The research will generate applied, system-relevant evidence to inform coach education design, organisational policy, and national workforce development initiatives. By strengthening cultural capability within the coaching workforce, this project aims to support the ASC’s broader commitment to inclusive, safe, and high-quality sport environments that enable lifelong participation for Australians from all backgrounds. The scholarship provides a living allowance of $38,938 per annum (2026 rate), indexed annually, and covers tuition fees for 3.5 years. A relocation allowance of up to $1,500 is also available. The project may be adapted to suit the interests and skills of the PhD candidate. Applicants must have experience in sport, sports coaching, sports participation, coach education, sociology of sport or a sport-related field, and meet the minimum eligibility criteria for PhD admission. Domestic students only. The successful candidate must be able to commence on 01/06/2026. To apply, send an email expressing your interest, including scanned academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal linking your interests to the project, to [email protected] by 5pm on 30 April 2026. For further information, visit the application link provided.