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Dr Nichola Kentzer

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Senior Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Coaching
  • Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
  • School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport
  • Sport & Fitness
  • nichola.kentzer

Professional biography

Dr Nichola Kentzer is a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Coaching at the Open University. Before starting as a full time academic at the university, she worked as an Associate Lecturer at the OU from 2010. Prior to moving full time to the OU, she worked as a higher education (HE) lecturer in sport and exercise science/psychology and teacher education.

Nichola’s specialist area is sport psychology. She is a British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) accredited and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and has provided psychological support to a wide range of performers.

Despite her professional qualifications and accreditations in sport psychology, Nichola completed her PhD in education, more specifically examining the experiences of in-service trainee teachers in further education with a focus on mentoring.

 

Research interests

Nichola’s research interests include the professional and personal development, and wellbeing of students/trainees and staff, both in education and sport psychology/sport science. She is also interested in the wellbeing of informal carers, their relationship with physical activity and supporting them to access education and professional development opportunities. 

See 'Publications' for most recent work.

 

Teaching interests

Nichola is the Module Team Chair for E235 Sport & Exercise Psychology in Action (2019- date)

 

 

External collaborations

Alongside her OU role, Nichola is an applied sport psychologist. Until 2023 she was the team sport psychologist for Team GBR Pony Driving Team and Team GBR Para-Driving Team (for approximately 10 years) and prepared the drivers and the wider support team for their World Championship events, travelled with the teams and supported the post event review process. Since her caring responsibilities increased, Nichola has stepped back from her more significant applied work, but supports the training of sport psychology practitioners through her role on the BASES Sport and Exercise Psychology Advisory Group.

Publications

Long-term care facilities' response to the COVID-19 pandemic: An international, cross-sectional survey (2024-01)
Eltaybani, Sameh; Igarashi, Ayumi; Cal, Ayse; Lai, Claudia; Carrasco, Cristina; Sari, Dianis; Cho, Eunhee; Haugan, Gorill; Bravo, Jorge; Abouzeid, Nesreen; Wachholz, Patrick; Isaramalai, Sang-Arun; Dawood, Shaimaa; Pappas, Yannis; Moneam, Abeer; Rodriguez, Ana; Alqahtani, Bader; Pereira, Catarina; Jenssen, Cathrine; Yu, Doris; Ahmed, Fatma; Mendes, Felismina; Randhawa, Gurch; Ahmed, Hanaa; Suzuki, Haruno; Prambudi, Hery; Avci, Ilknur; Waluyo, Imam; Nurbaeti, Irma; Vseteckova, Jitka; Horne, Jo; Liu, Justina; Ingstad, Kari; Kashiwabara, Kosuke; Grant, Louise; Moniem, Maha; Sakka, Mariko; Abdelgawad, Mohamed; Subu, Muhammad; Kentzer, Nichola; Almadani, Noura; Tomas-Carus, Pablo; Garcia, Renata; Indarwati, Retno; Maneerat, Sonthaya; Chien, Wai; Amamiya, Yuko; Cavalcanti, Yuri and Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 80(1) (pp. 350-365)

Nichola Kentzer in Conversation With Göran Kenttä: Recipient of the 2022 Association for Applied Sport Psychology Distinguished Professional Practice Award (2024-01)
Kentzer, Nichola and Kenttä, Göran
Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology, 8(1) (pp. 31-36)

Associations between total physical activity levels and academic performance in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2024)
Trott, Mike; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Langdown, Ben and Smith, Lee
Journal of Education and Health Promotion ((In Press))

Supporting adult unpaid carers via an online dancing intervention: A feasibility/acceptability study (2024)
Horne, Joanna; Donald, Louisa; Gracia, Rosaria; Kentzer, Nichola; Pappas, Yannis; Trott, Mike and Vseteckova, Jitka
PLOS Global Public Health, 4, Article e0002798(1)

The Human–Horse Relationship: Human Direct and Meta Perceptions of Its Importance for Performance and Welfare in Equestrian Sport (2023-09-03)
Tufton, L. R.; Kentzer, Nichola and Kingsley, B.E
Anthrozoös, 36(5) (pp. 771-788)

The Influence of Gender Dynamics on Women’s Experiences in Martial Arts: A Scoping Review (2023-08-01)
Lindsay, Rosie; Horne, Jo; Shaw, Jill; Kentzer, Nichola and Bacon, Wendi
International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure

A Case Study Investigation Into a Group Online Sport Psychology Support Intervention for Injured Athletes (2023-01)
Heaney, Caroline and Kentzer, Nichola
Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology, 7(1) (pp. 24-32)

Barriers and facilitators to physical activity among informal carers: a systematic review of international literature (2023)
Lindsay, Rosie K.; Vseteckova, Jitka; Horne, Joanna; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike; Lappe, Joseph De; Soysal, Pinar; Pizzol, Damiano and Kentzer, Nichola
International Journal of Care and Caring, 7(3) (pp. 498-526)

The prevalence of physical activity among informal carers: a systematic review of international literature (2022)
Lindsay, Rosie; Vseteckova, Jitka; Horne, Jo; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike; de Lappe, Joseph; Soysal, Pinar; Pizzol, Damiano and Kentzer, Nichola
Sport Sciences for Health, 18 (pp. 1071-1118)

A Systematic Review on the Prevalence of Physical Activity, and Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity, in Informal Carers in the United Kingdom (2021)
Horne, Joanna; Kentzer, Nichola; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Vseteckova, Jitka
Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 18(2) (pp. 212-218)

Effective athletic development: Closing thoughts (2022-07-12)
Heaney, Caroline; Kentzer, Nichola and Oakley, Ben
In: Heaney, Caroline; Kentzer, Nichola and Oakley, Ben eds. Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective (pp. 247-250)
ISBN : 9781003153450, 9780367721022 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : New York

Sport, Psychology and Christianity: The Importance of Reflective Practice (2019)
Huntley, Emma and Kentzer, Nichola
In: Hemmings, Brian; Watson, Nick J. and Parker, Andrew eds. Sport, Psychology and Christianity: Welfare, Performance and Consultancy. Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society (pp. 171-190)
ISBN : 9781351165488 | Publisher : Routledge

Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective (2021-07-12)
Heaney, Caroline; Kentzer, Nichola and Oakley, Ben eds.
ISBN : 9780367721022 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon

The 'Learning pathways for carers programme' (2023)
Kentzer, Nichola; Kubiak, Chris and Larkin, Mary
In : OU's 7th Biennial International Conference on Access, Participation and Success (26-27 Apr 2023, Milton Keynes, UK)

Participation in group outings, gender related profiling and preferences of outings for carers of individuals living with dementia: systematic review (2020-07-16)
Horne, Jo; Kentzer, Nichola; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike; Abington, Jane and Vseteckova, Jitka
Prospero - International prospective register of systematic reviews

A systematic review on the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in informal / unpaid carers worldwide (2020-06-26)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Horne, Joanna; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Kentzer, Nichola
Prospero - International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42020184196

How can Adult Carers get the best support during Covid-19 pandemic and beyond? (2020-06-03)
Taverner, Phil; Larkin, Mary; Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Penson, Martin; Robb, Martin; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda and Methley, Abigail
Open Learn, Milton Keynes.

The effects of self-isolation and lack of physical activity on carers. (2020-06-03)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Robb, Martin; Larkin, Mary; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda; Methley, Abigail and Taverner, Phil
Open Learn, Milton Keynes.

Young carers,COVID-19 and physical activity (2020-06-03)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Kentzer, Nichola; Horne, Jo; Penson, Martin; Robb, Martin; Larkin, Mary; Berry, Alex; Spencer, Melinda; Methley, Abigail and Taverner, Phil
OpenLearn, Milton Keynes.

A systematic review on the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in informal / unpaid carers in the UK (2020-04-28)
Horne, Jo; Vseteckova, Jitka; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Kentzer, Nichola
Prospero

A systematic review on the prevalence of physical activity in informal / unpaid carers in the UK (2020-04-28)
Horne, Jo; Kentzer, Nichola; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Vseteckova, Jitka
Prospero - International prospective register of systematic reviews

A systematic review protocol on the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in informal/unpaid carers in the UK (2020)
Horne, Jo; Vseteckova, Jitka; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Kentzer, Nichola
PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42020167742

A systematic review on the prevalence of physical activity in informal / unpaid carers worldwide (2020)
Vseteckova, Jitka; Horne, Joanna; Smith, Lee; Trott, Mike and Kentzer, Nichola
Prospero - International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42020184204