Students will complete a qualitative lab report analysing provided interview excerpts or reflective narratives related to developmental experiences in sport and exercise. Using an appropriate qualitative method, students will interpret how physical, cognitive, social, or emotional development influences engagement, motivation, or performance across the lifespan. Students will integrate developmental theory, research, and applied insights to address both module learning outcomes. Students will receive formative feedback throughout the module, comprising task-related feedback on a week-by-week basis, together with discussions to encourage peer-learning, in addition to comments from the relevant tutor.

This module explores human development across the lifespan, from early childhood to older adulthood, with a focus on the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that influence participation, motivation, and wellbeing in sport and exercise contexts. Alongside this developmental focus, students will be introduced to qualitative research methods commonly used to investigate lived developmental experiences, such as interviews, observational approaches, and narrative techniques.

Learners will examine developmental stages in relation to exercise and sport—covering early childhood motor development, adolescent growth and motivation, adulthood and performance maintenance, and active ageing—while also analysing how qualitative data can be used to understand these developmental processes. The role of social and emotional development, as well as personality and individual differences, will be explored through qualitative case examples and thematic interpretations of real-world developmental narratives.

The module also highlights applied and ethical considerations in developmental research, encouraging students to evaluate how qualitative methods contribute to understanding behaviour change across the lifespan. Through applied examples, discussion, qualitative data analysis, and developmental case work, learners will integrate theory, research, and reflection to understand development as a continuous and dynamic process in sport and exercise settings.

1. Critically evaluate key theories, concepts, and research within developmental psychology

Learning Outcome: Knowledge & Understanding; Critical Reasoning & Collaboration

2. Demonstrate understanding of how qualitative research methods can be used to explore physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development and their influence on¿development¿across the lifespan.

Learning Outcome: Reflection, Research Skills

Students follow a single-semester study programme. Students will learn through a combination of asynchronous lectures, synchronous lectures, and webinars. Video lectures will be posted on the virtual learning environment (VLE), and students will be required to view these each week prior to completing the webinar activities, which will then be used to build upon the material presented in the video lectures. In addition, students can access support material via the virtual learning environment (e.g., Blackboard) and Microsoft Teams.

Students are required to access additional support material independently. Students will learn through a combination of video lectures, independent activities, formative feedback tasks, peer to peer discussions, and 1-2-1 tutor support.

Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment
Microsoft Teams
Internet access
Library facilities

Slater, A., & Bremner, G. (2017) An introduction to developmental psychology (3rd Ed). Wiley.

Lifespan Development in Sport and Exercise explores how physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development shape participation, motivation, and wellbeing across the lifespan. You will examine key developmental theories from childhood through to older adulthood and consider how developmental changes influence experiences in sport and exercise contexts. A distinctive feature of the module is its focus on qualitative research methods, enabling you to explore lived developmental experiences. This module develops critical and research skills that support progression into advanced applied and research-based psychology study.