Diane Culver

Diane is an associate professor in the School of Human Kinetics. With a Ph.D. in Education her domain is sport pedagogy and psychology. Her research interests are in the area of (1) coach development, (2) social learning theory, and (3) qualitative research methods.

Using social learning theory (e.g., the concept of communities of practice) Diane’s research with sport organisations, including those in parasport and the Special Olympics, takes a participatory approach to building learning capability. Her work as a social learning researcher and leader is underpinned by a certificate in social learning leadership (http://wenger-trayner.com/certificate-participants). She has published in journals such as The Sport Psychologist, the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, and Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health; she is a member of the editorial board of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching and a reviewer for several journals.

Diane has been a member of the research committee of the Coaching Association of Canada since 2007 and also sits on the Alpine Canada Alpin coach education curriculum review sub-committee. Her previous work experience includes coaching for the Canadian National Ski Team and the New Zealand Olympic Ski Team, and being a senior coaching consultant for the Coaching Association of Canada. She is a professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and consults with athletes, coaches, and sport organisations facilitating the enhancement of their performance. Diane also assists with the supervision of the MHK program with concentration in intervention and consultation.  

• Coach development
• Social learning theory
• Qualitative research methods

A newly funded SSHRC action research program is using Wenger’s (1998) social learning theory to promote and assess the social learning capability of parasport organisations. Taking a landscape of practice approach, this research seeks to nurture knowledge creation in communities of practices and networks and uses the boundaries between such social learning spaces in the landscape to augment learning. Interviews, self-reports, focus groups, learning activities, and observation as well as various tools and metrics of processes and performance, are used to generate data, build agendas for, and evaluate the learning value of these social learning spaces. 

Chapters

• Trudel, P., Culver, D., & Richard, J-P. Peter Jarvis: Lifelong learning. Learning in Sports Coaching: Theory and Application. Routledge. 2016.Conceptualisation, writing, and editing), Richard 15%
• *Duarte, T., Culver, D.M., Trudel, P. & Milistetd, M. (in press). Parasport coach development: Evidence from the Canadian context.
• *Taylor, S., Werthner, P., & Culver, D. M. (2015). Dynamic, evolving, and social: The learning interactions of parasport coaches. In P. Davis (Ed) The psychology of effective coaching and management. Nova Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.  Contribution: Conceptualisation, writing, and editing.
• Trudel, P., Culver, D., & Richard, J.P. (in press). Peter Jarvis: Lifelong learning. Learning in sports coaching: Theory and application. Routledge.  Contribution: Conceptualisation, writing, and editing.
• Trudel, P., Culver, D., & Gilbert, W. (2014). Publishing coaching research. In L. Nelson, P. Potrac, & R. Groom, Research methods in sports coaching (pp. 252-260). London: Routledge.Contribution: Writing, and editing
• Gilbert, W., Camiré, M. & Culver, D. (2014). Navigating the research process. In L. Nelson, R. Groom, & P. Potrac (Eds), Research methods in sports coaching (pp. 55-65). London: Routledge. Contribution: Conceptualization, writing, and editing
• Trudel, P., Culver, D., & Werthner, P. (2013). Looking at coach development from the coach-learner's perspective: Considerations for coach development administrators. In P. Potrac, W. Gilbert & J. Denison, Routledge handbook of sports coaching (pp. 375-387). London: Routledge. Contribution: Literature review, writing, and editing Trudel 50%, Culver 30% (conception, writing), Werthner 20%

Peer reviewed journals

• Cybulski, S., Culver, D. M., Kraft, E., & Forneris, T. (In press). Special Olympics coaches: Examining the strategies that they use to encourage their athletes to develop life skills. International Journal of Coaching Science, 10(2).
• Leduc, M. & Culver, D.M. (sous presse). Retour sur le processus d’apprentissage de formateurs d’entraîneurs. PHEnex, 7(3), 1-14  http://ojs.acadiau.ca/index.php/phenex/article/view/1568/1340
• Bertram, R., Culver, D.M., & Gilbert, W. (2016). Creating value in a sport coach community of practice: A collaborative inquiry. International Sport Coaching Journal, 3, 2 – 16. doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2014-0122 
• Bertram, R., Culver, D. M., & Gilbert, W. (2016). Using appreciative inquiry to create high-impact coach learning: Insights from a decade of applied research. AI Practitioner: International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry, 18, 2, 58-64. Dx.doi.org/10.12781/978-1-907549-27-4
• Taylor, S., Werthner, P., Culver, D.M., & Callary, B. (2015). The Importance of Reflection for Coaches in Parasport. Reflective Practice, 16, 269-284. doi: 10.1080/14623943.2015.1023274
• Callary, B., Culver, D., Werthner, P., & Bales, J. (2014). An overview of seven national high performance coach education programs. International Sport Coaching Journal, 1, 152-164.
• Taylor, S., Werthner, P., & Culver, D. M. (2014), A Case Study of a Parasport Coach and a Life of Learning. International Sport Coaching Journal, 1, 127-138. doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2013-0005
• Duarte, T., & Culver, D. M. (2014). Becoming a coach in developmental adaptive sailing: A lifelong learning perspective. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 26, 441-456. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2014.920935
• Bertram, R., Paquette, K., Duarte, T., & Culver, D. (2014). Assessing the value created through participating in a graduate studies community of practice. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal, 7(1), 1-14.
• Leduc, M., Culver, D.M., & Werthner, P. (2012). Following a coach education programme: Coaches' perceptions and reported actions. Sports Coaching Review, 1(2), 135-150. doi: 10.1080/21640629.2013.797752
• Deek, D., Werthner, P., Paquette, K., & Culver, D.M. (2013). The impact of a large-scale coach education program as part of coaches’ ongoing learning. Journal of Coaching Education, 6(1), 24-42.
• Winchester, G., Culver, D.M., Camiré, M. (2012). Understanding how Ontario high school teacher-coaches learn to coach. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2012.690376
• McMaster, S., Culver, D. M., & Werthner, P. (2012). Coaches of athletes with a physical disability: A look at their learning experiences. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 1-18. DOI:10.1080/2159676X.2012.686060
• Culver, D. M., Gilbert, W., & Sparkes, A.C. (2012). Qualitative Research in Sport Psychology Journals: The Next Decade 2000-2009 and Beyond. The Sport Psychologist, 26, 261-281.

Conferences and presentations

• Ross McManus, H., & Culver, D.M. Coaching approaches to fear and risk in high performance trampoline. Paper presented at the Eastern Canada Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium, Hamilton, Ontario, March 11-12, 2016.
• Culver, D. M., Werthner, P., Taylor, S., Davey, J.,Duarte, T. F. D., & Trudel, P. What we know about Parasport coach learning in Canada.Paper presented at the International Paralympic Committee Vista 2015 Scientific conference at Girona, Spain, October 7-10, 2015.
• Culver, D. M., Werthner, P., & Trudel, P. The challenges of becoming a learning facilitator in a constructivist perspective. Paper presented at the International Council for Coaching excellence Global Coach Conference, Vierumaki, Finland, August 23-25, 2015.
• Duarte, T., Bertram, R., & Culver, D. Scaling up communities of practice: The potential of a landscape perspective for coach development. Paper presented at the International Council for Coaching excellence Global Coach Conference, Vierumaki, Finland, August 23-25, 2015.
• Merrilees, J., Cassidy, T., Culver, D., & Shaw, S. Global networks: A mechanism for coach-athlete empowerment. Paper presented at the International Council for Coaching excellence Global Coach Conference, Vierumaki, Finland, August 23-25, 2015.
• Merrilees, J., Cassidy, T., Culver, D., & Shaw, S. Learning via non-formal education strategies: Lessons from the field. Paper presented at the 2015 AIESEP International Conference, Madrid, Spain, July 8-11, 2015.
• Bertram, R., Culver, D., & Gilbert, W. Implementing communities of practice to support college coaches’ ongoing learning and development. Paper presented at National Coaching Conference, Morgantown, VA., USA, June 10, 2015.
• Greenberg, E. & Culver, D. How do parkour coaches learn to coach?
  An exploration of parkour coach education. Paper presented at the Eastern Canada Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium, Ottawa, Ontario, March 27-28, 2015.
• Bertram, R., & Culver, D. Assessing value creation within communities of practice: Linking coach learning with athlete outcomes in youth sport. Paper presented at the Eastern Canada Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium, Ottawa, Ontario, March 27-28, 2015.
• Bertram, R., & Culver, D. Creating value within a sport coach community of practice. Paper presented at the Coaching Research Symposium, Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Conference, Ottawa, November 6-8, 2014.