The current study follows up on the first-time implementation of the GrowTMindS Intervention described in Part I, with an overall aim of improving sports coaches’ beliefs in their talent as a coach (coach talent mindset, C-TM) and their athletes’ talent (athlete talent mindset, A-TM) as being malleable. By drawing on the user-centered design approach, we first refined the intervention using the insight provided by the coaches in Part I. A mixed-method approach then evaluated the second-time implementation, which included 33 participants (M_age = 38.76, SD = 16.55; 13 women, 20 men) in the quantitative strand and 11 informants (M_age = 39.09, SD = 14.10; 5 women, 6 men) in the sequential qualitative strand. The coaches represented the sports of swimming, bandy, ski sports, golf, and orienteering. The quantitative results indicate that the intervention targeted the coaches’ talent mindsets as their growth C-TM and A-TM scores increased from pre-test to post-test a year and a half after the intervention. The qualitative findings substantiate these results, showing how an increase at scale also appears meaningful concerning their belief in their own and their athletes’ developments. The findings also helped us to understand how the embracing, or possibly refuting, of intervention delivery may substantiate different trajectories of change, and thereby provided insight into the difficulty of targeting and the complexity of psychological processes and behavioral change. By considering the changes in coaches’ growth C-TM and A-TM, we assume that the GrowTMindS Intervention is ready for testing in a Phase III efficacy trial.

Lay Summary

The current study first refined the GrowTMindS Intervention to improve sports coaches’ mindsets about their talent as coaches and their athletes’ talent as being malleable and something that can grow. Then, using a mixed-method approach, the evaluation of this second-time implementation revealed a statistically significant and meaningful change in their mindsets through participation in a field study.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE 

• The GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 can influence adult sports coaches’ growth mindsets regarding their talent as coaches and their athletes’ talents.
• Implementing the GrowTMindS Intervention 2.0 in coach education programs can contribute to changing coach behavior for the sake of athlete development and avoiding potential adverse athlete outcomes related to early talent identification and early specialized training.
• The findings underscore the need to recognize coaches’ backgrounds and pre-understanding to tailor growth talent mindset messages for clarity and impact, motivating participants to adopt new behaviors. They also emphasize the crucial role of engaging and committing coaches to new behaviors through assignments and fostering supportive environments to reinforce the communicated growth talent mindsets messages.  © 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.