Research
Research interests include: sport psychology, youth sport, youth coaching, Positive Youth Development (PYD) and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs) in sport, and elite sport performance.
These research interests originated from experiences growing up in Brazil. Coexisting with poverty and acute social economic disparity motivated the interest of assisting people in need and contributing to global development. Experiences working with sports raised the interest of using sports as a tool to motivate youth to engage in healthy behaviors, especially in lower socioeconomic settings. This experience was put into practice in a Master’s degree project that created and delivered sport-related activities that taught life skills to youth athletes. The project used frameworks that included Positive Youth Development (PYD) models and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs). See the ‘Thesis’ section below to learn more.
Here you will find a reference of all my scientific articles. You will also find web links to the journals in which the articles were published and a downloadable file.
Here you will find the title and abstract of the thesis submitted as a requirement for the degree of Master of Arts. A downloadable file is available below.
Title
A Positive Youth Development Coach Education Program and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Abstract
In 2000, the United Nations (UN) hosted a world summit to set their major goals and objectives. This summit produced the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight goals that addressed key social problems in the world. The UN has recognized the potential of sport and physical activity as a way to achieve the UN MDGs. Empirical evidence has shown that sport is a powerful tool that can promote life skills in youth athletes and that the coach plays a key role in youths’ personal and social development in sport. To date, research has not examined the benefits of sport under the framework of the UN goals, nor has research created activities to achieve these goals. Thus, the purpose of the study was to assess coaches’ thoughts and perceptions of activities that were created to address three UN MDGs (health, education, and empowering women). Six youth soccer and basketball coaches participated in this study. Coaches were required to participate in a workshop designed to teach them the UN MDGs and the principles of positive youth development (PYD). During the workshop four activities were created in a collaborative effort between the participating youth coaches and the McGill research team. These activities were delivered by the coaches to their athletes throughout the season. Data was collected using four qualitative methods: pre and post-intervention forms, interviews, research assistant field notes, and a reflective journal kept by the research coordinator. Data revealed that coaches perceived the project as successful and the activities were seen as beneficial for athletes and for the team. In particular, the coaches believed the activities improved the athletes’ awareness of the importance of health, education, and empowering women. The coaches also believed the activities increased team cohesion and communication skills among their players, and between coaches and players. Finally, observations suggested increased indicators of PYD among youth players. In sum, the results of the present study demonstrated that coaches can be educated in the principles of PYD and the UN goals to develop activities that fostered life skills development of their athletes through sport.
Falcão, W. R. & Bloom, G. A. (2010). A Positive Youth Development Coach Education Program and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (Master’s thesis).
Here you will find references to all symposiums, oral presentations, and invited speaker talks given at conferences and other meetings.
Symposium
Falcão, W. R., Bloom, G. A., Gilbert, W. (2011, March). Promoting the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals through Youth Sport. In G. DaMatta (Chair). International Initiatives of Youth Sports, Social Development, and Expertise Development. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), San Diego, CA, USA.
Falcão, W. R., Bloom, G. A., & Gilbert, W. (2010, October). Using Positive Youth Development
through sport to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In T. Forneris (Chair) PYD in sport: Research findings and policy implications. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS), Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Oral presentations
Falcão, W. R. (2010, March). The role of the youth sport coach in helping to address the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals.Oral session presented at the meeting of the Eastern Canadian Sport & Exercise Psychology Symposium (ECSEPS), Montreal, QC, Canada.
Falcão, W. R. (2009, March). Supervised internship with the McGill University men’s soccer team.
Oral session presented at the meeting of the Eastern Canadian Sport & Exercise Psychology Symposium (ECSEPS), Toronto, ON, Canada.
Falcão, W. R. (2008, March). Youth coaching interventions to achieve the UN MDGs through
sport and physical activity: A proposed study. Oral session presented at the meeting of the Eastern Canadian Sport & Exercise Psychology Symposium (ECSEPS), Sudbury, ON, Canada.
Falcão, W. R. (2007, April). Sharing an experience: The role of the school psychologist in the
physical education context. Oral session presented at the meeting of the National Conference for School and Educational Psychology [Congresso Nacional de Psicologia Escolar e Educational], São João Del Rei, MG, Brazil.
Falcão, W. R. (2004, October). Concept and location of downtown in Brasilia according to the
citizen of the Federal District. Oral session presented at the annual meeting of the Brazilian Psychology Society [Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de Psicologia], Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
Invited speaker
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY LABORATORY AT UNIVERSITY OF BRASILIA
Date: May 20, 2010.
Themes addressed:
- Participatory Research approach;
- Balance between theory, research, and practice;
- Applied Sport Psychology;
