Lect in Sport and Exercise Psychology
Sport J8, Pathfoot Building, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, Stirling, FK9 4LA
I am a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Stirling, with expertise in sport psychology and the professional development of sport (psychology) practitioners. My primary research focuses on the development of practitioner expertise, particularly through the lens of professional judgement and decision-making (PJDM) in applied sport contexts. I also have research interests in mental health and well-being in sport, as well as academic writing and researcher development.
I teach across both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, contributing to the MSc Psychology of Sport and the MSc Sport Performance Coaching (Online), as well as undergraduate modules in sport psychology and coaching. I supervise student research at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and enjoy supporting students in developing their skills as both scholars and practitioners.
My work is driven by a commitment to bridging theory and practice, and I aim to foster critical thinking, reflective practice, and ethical awareness in all areas of teaching and research.
Research Interests
My research is grounded in sport psychology, with a particular focus on the professional development of sport (psychology) practitioners. I am especially interested in how practitioner expertise is developed and enacted, using a professional judgement and decision-making (PJDM) lens to explore the complexities of applied practice.
Additional areas of interest include mental health and well-being in sport, as well as academic writing and researcher development. I am committed to research that bridges theory and practice, and that supports the growth of reflective, ethical, and contextually responsive practitioners.
Fellow of Advance HE
Article
Developing Early Career Researchers’ Self-efficacy for Academic Writing
McLellan G, Smith M, Hardy A, Murray R & Thow M (2024) Developing Early Career Researchers’ Self-efficacy for Academic Writing. Journal of Academic Writing, 14 (2). https://doi.org/10.18552/joaw.v14i2.1142
Article
‘So maybe I’m not such an imposter’: becoming an academic after a life as a teacher-practitioner
Hardy A, Murray R, Thow M & Smith M (2022) ‘So maybe I’m not such an imposter’: becoming an academic after a life as a teacher-practitioner. Higher Education Research & Development, 41 (1), pp. 163-176. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1835835
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Academic writing during a pandemic: Using the writing meeting framework to develop self-efficacy.
Smith M, McLellan G, Murray R, Thow M & Hardy A (2021) Academic writing during a pandemic: Using the writing meeting framework to develop self-efficacy.. International SRHE Conference - (Re)connecting, (Re)building: Higher Education in Transformative Times, Virtual, 06.12.2021-10.12.2021.
Article
Smith M, McEwan HE, Tod D & Martindale A (2019) UK Trainee Sport and Exercise Psychologists’ Perspectives on Developing Professional Judgment and Decision-Making Expertise During Training. The Sport Psychologist, 33 (4), pp. 334-343. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2018-0112
Poster
BASES Conference 2019 – Programme and Abstracts
Smith M, McEwan H, Tod D & Martindale A (2019) BASES Conference 2019 – Programme and Abstracts [D2. P28. Developing decision-making expertise in trainee sport and exercise psychologists: Supervisor perspectives]. BASES Conference, Leicester, 19.11.2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1671688
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Smith M, McEwan H, Martindale A & Tod D (2017) Developing professional judgement and decision-making skills: Investigating the use of scenario-based learning in UK trainee sport psychologists’ training experiences.. Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP), British Psychological Society (BPS) Conference, Glasgow, 11.12.2017-12.12.2017.
Presentation / Talk
Tod D, Eubank M, Nesti M, Smith M, McEwan H & Hutter V (2017) If you listen very hard, a tune will come to you: Applied sport psychologist professional training and development. [Dazed and confused: The stairway to reason (Invited symposium).]. International Sport Psychology World Congress, Seville, 10.07.2017-14.07.2017. https://issponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-ISSP_Proceedings_Book.pdf
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Smith M & McEwan H (2015) Understanding sport psychologists' training experiences through a professional judgment and decision-making framework. British Psychological Society: 2015 Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology Conference, Leeds, 14.12.2015-15.12.2015.
I currently teach on the MSc Psychology of Sport programme.
Module Contributions:
SPSP044 - Current Issues in Sport Psychology
SPSP045 - Placement in Sport Psychology
SPSP041 - Research Methods for Sport Psychology
SPSP010 - Dissertation
I also teach on the MSc Sport Performance Coaching (online) programme.
Module Coordinator:
SPSP067 - Understanding Performers: Psychological Perspectives
Module Contributions:
SPSP037 - Applied Coaching Project
At undergraduate level, I contribute to teaching on the BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology programme.
Module Coordinator:
SPSU8FP - Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Module Contributions:
SPSU712 - Introduction to Sport & Exercise Science
SPSU9AP - Advanced Sport Psychology
SPSU9PD - Sport Psychology Dissertation
Finally, I also contribute to teaching on BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching programme.
Module Contributions:
SPSU9CS - Coaching Sport
SPSU9RP - Major Project in Sports
