Abstract

Objectives
Think Aloud (TA) has been used as a knowledge elicitation method in sport research and is a means of accessing athlete and coach cognition. Although this research implies practical implications for sport and exercise psychologists in service-delivery with clients, no studies have explored how practitioners use TA. We examined trainee, and registered sport and exercise psychology practitioners’ stories regarding their use of TA in their practice.
Methods
Participants (5 females and 6 males) with 1-15 years of professional experience discussed their use of TA in their practice during narrative interviews. Data analysis began with an examination of the narrative structure of the practitioners’ stories, followed by an investigation of the narrative themes related to factors influencing its effectiveness.
Findings and discussion
Structural analysis demonstrated a consistent storyline of a collaborative expert approach in the application of TA in each phase of the consulting process (i.e., from the needs analysis phase, to monitoring client goals). Narrative themes demonstrated TA as influential on client self-awareness, particularly in needs analysis and intervention phases. Practitioner confidence in applying Think Aloud was determined by the practitioner-client relationship.
Conclusions
This study extends the evidence-base on TA by demonstrating how sport and exercise psychology practitioners can use the method as a collaborative practice tool. By creating and sharing narratives of TA in practice, we illuminate the opportunities available to practitioners to encourage them to use the method in creative and meaningful ways to support their clients.