Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Dr Alexandra Potts
Senior Lecturer
Alexandra is a Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health within the Carnegie School of Sport. Within Alexandra's role, she currently leads the Level Four Physical Activity, Exercise, and Health course, leads numerous undergraduate modules particularly those relating to physical activity, health, behaviour change, and psychology, and is a supervisor for undergraduate final year projects and postgraduate major independent studies.
Alongside her teaching responsibilities, Alexandra is actively involved in a variety of externally funded research projects. These research projects often involve the implementation and or evaluation of whole systems approaches to physical activity, where there has been substantial investment of local councils and governing bodies over the last few years. Alexandra is also passionate about research following her doctoral studies, which explored sports coaches' experiences of psychological stress and psychological wellbeing. As a qualitative researcher, Alexandra used innovative methods and approaches to understand and explore coaches' experiences, and continues this line of enquiry within her current role.
Previous to her role as a Lecturer, Alexandra studied her undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Leeds Metropolitan University, graduating with an upper second class honours in 2014. Alexandra continued her time at Leeds Metropolitan (now Leeds Beckett) university by completing her Masters of Science degree in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, where Alexandra graduated with a Merit in 2016. Alexandra continued her professional development at Leeds Beckett University through teaching on undergraduate modules, with a specialism in sport psychology and physical activity, and taking up a research assistant position. At the start of 2016, Alexandra continued her studies at Leeds Beckett University and took up a position as a doctoral bursary student. Alexandra successfully submitted and defended her doctoral thesis titled A Qualitative Exploration of Stressors, Primary Appraisals, Coping, and Psychological Wellbeing among Sports Coaches in March 2019.
Current Teaching
Alexandra is currently Level Four course leader for the Physical Activity, Exercise, and Health BSc (Hons) course. Alexandra is module leader for the L4 Personal, Professional, and Academic Development module across the Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences Suite, and module leader for the L4 Psychology of Physical Activity and Behaviour Change module. In addition, Alexandra also teaches on the L5 Employability in Sport and Exercise and the L4 Human Behaviour in Sport and Exercise Sciences modules.
In addition to the above, Alexandra supervises independent study project at all levels. At undergraduate level, Alexandra is a supervisor for the Level 6 Final Year Project module. At postgraduate level, Alexandra is supervisor for the Level 7 Major Independent Study module and is Director of Studies and Supervisor for several doctoral students.
Research Interests
Following her PhD, Alexandra remains actively involved in the exploration of sports coaches' experiences of psychological stress and psychological wellbeing. More specifically, Alexandra is interested in the interaction between the two and the impact that primary appraisals, in particular, can have on an individual's psychological wellbeing.
Within her Lecturer position, Alexandra is interested in a whole systems approaches to physical activity behaviour change and documenting how this can happen. In particular, Alexandra is interested in both the implementation and evaluation of whole systems approaches. In 2020, Alexandra co-established the Systems Evaluation Network (alongside Dr James Nobles), which brings together over 400 individuals from academia, local councils, and practitioners, who are working on the evaluation of whole systems approaches in public health to share and develop knowledge.
Ask Me About
- Coaching
- Psychology
- Sport Psychology
- Sport science
- Stress
Selected Outputs
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Woodhead C; Didymus F; Potts A (2024) Interpersonal coping in sport: A systematic review. 15 July 2024 - 19 July 2024.
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Potts A; Didymus F; Kaiseler M (2022) Using composite vignettes to understand the impact of primary appraisals on well-being among sports coaches. In: British Psychological Society Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 29 November 2022 - 30 November 2022, Swansea, UK.
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Potts A (2022) Community reporting: An insight-generating approach to inform the development and evolution of a systems approach to district-wide physical activity behaviours. In: International Society for Physical Activity and Health, 24 October 2022 - 26 October 2022, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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Potts A; Didymus F; Kaiseler M (2018) Psychological well-being among sports coaches. In: Association for Applied Sport Psychology Annual Conference, 3 October 2018 - 6 October 2018, Toronto.
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Potts AJ; Didymus F (2017) Stressors and Coping among Voluntary Sports Coaches. In: International Society of Sport Psychology, 10 July 2017 - 14 July 2017, Seville, Spain.
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Potts AJ; Didymus FF (2016) An exploration of psychological stress and performance enhancement: Are performance enhancing substances used to cope with stress in elite rugby players?. In: BASES Student Conference 2016, 22 March 2016 - 23 March 2016, Bangor University.
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Woodhead C; Didymus F; Potts A (In press) Interpersonal Coping in Sport: A Systematic Review. Psychology of Sport and Exercise
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Potts A; Didymus F; Kaiseler M (In press) Psychological Stress and Psychological Well-being among Sports Coaches: A Close Proximity Longitudinal Daily Diary Study. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
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Ispoglou T; Wilson OJ; McCullough D; Aldrich L; Ferentinos P; Lyall G; Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou A; Duckworth L; Brown MA; Sutton L (In press) A narrative review of non-pharmacological strategies for managing sarcopenia in older adults with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Biology, 12 (7), pp. 1-27.
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Potts A; McKenna J; Webber C (2022) “Community reporting”: An insight-generating approach for local authority physical activity provision. Perspectives in Public Health, 142 (4), pp. 202-204.
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Potts A; Nobles J; Shearn K; Danks K; Frith G (2022) Embedded researchers as part of a whole systems approach to physical activity: Reflections and recommendations. Systems
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Nobles J; Wheeler J; Dunleavy-Harris K; Holmes R; Inman-Ward A; Potts A; Hall J; Redwood S; Jago R; Foster C (2022) Ripple effects mapping: capturing the wider impacts of systems change efforts in public health. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 22 (1),
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Potts A; Didymus F; Kaiseler M (2021) Bringing sports coaches’ experiences of primary appraisals and psychological well-being to life using composite vignettes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health
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Potts A; Didymus FF; Kaiseler M (2021) Psychological Stress and Psychological Well-being among Sports Coaches: A Meta-synthesis of the Qualitative Research Evidence. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
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Potts A; Shearn K; Frith G; Christy E (2021) Working with Local People as Part of a Whole-systems Approach to Physical Activity: Reflections from Local Delivery Pilot. Perspectives in Public Health, 141 (2), pp. 74-75.
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Potts A; Didymus FF; Kaiseler M (2019) Exploring stressors and coping among volunteer, part-time and full-time sports coaches. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11 (1), pp. 46-68.
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Didymus F; Norris L; Potts A; Staff H (2021) Psychological Stress and Performance. In: Zenko Z; Jones L ed. Essentials of Exercise and Sport Psychology: An Open Access Textbook. Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology, pp. 683-709.
