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Eating Behaviors And Supplement Use Of College Upperclassmen Athletes Versus Lowerclassmen Athletes, Marissa F. Wertheimer

Nutrition Theses

Background: Past studies have shown that optimal nutrition can enhance physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise. It is important for college athletes to incorporate positive eating behaviors into their daily lives, such as consuming breakfast, eating frequently throughout the day, and not skipping meals in order to maintain energy levels and reach their sports performance potential.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the eating behaviors and dietary supplement use of underclassmen and upperclassmen student athletes at Georgia State University.

Methods: Underclassmen (freshmen, sophomores) and upperclassmen (juniors, seniors, fifth-year seniors) athletes (n=255) completed …

To Hold And To Discipline : A Winnicottian And Foucauldian Examination Of Adolescent Athletics Through The Case Of Friday Night Lights, Westley C. Rutter

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study examined the impact of organized team sports participation on adolescent psychosocial functioning and development. Theoretical concepts were illustrated with examples present in the high school football themed television series, Friday Night Lights. Winnicottian theories were used to explain how athletics could facilitate adolescent development and be psychologically reparative for adolescents who experienced early childhood caregiver failures. In contrast, Foucauldian concepts were applied to demonstrate how disciplinary mechanisms in sports may augment the effects of internalized oppression for adolescents of color and economically marginalized adolescents. The study explored the possible impact of sports-based interventions for youth, cautioning social …

Development And Execution Of Coaching Philosophies Among Competitive Youth Sport Coaches, Evan Schreiner

All Theses

Coaching in the field of youth sports consists of many different approaches and philosophies. While some, when executed correctly, work well at keeping youth engaged and competing at a high level, there are other philosophies that are not implemented correctly at that high performance level. Past experiences have made coaches examine their philosophies in a different way or even change their perspective altogether. Although there are many different coaching styles and beliefs, little is known about how the philosophies of youth coaches are executed. This research is intended to define the core elements in a coaching philosophy, and determine how …

Eating Pathology, Supplement Use, And Nutrition Knowledge In Collegiate Athletes, Holly Beth Lapota

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Eating pathology (e.g., body dissatisfaction, binge eating, purging, restrictive eating) and substance use (e.g., dietary supplements, legal and illegal drugs) proliferate university settings in the United States. Within university settings, athletes appear to be at particularly high risk for eating pathology and supplement use due to the external pressures to be attractive, the need to perform at optimal levels, and the specific characteristics of sports in which they participate. Furthermore, the degree to which athletes understand what constitutes healthy eating and exercise habits is understudied and may relate to eating pathology and supplement use. To build on existing research, the …

Intercollegiate Athletics Success And The Financial Impact On Universities, Adam G. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Private monetary contributions and the role of athletics are topics of discussion at nearly all institutions, thus any relationship between the two has become increasingly valuable to determine donor motivations. The significance and value of athletics to each institution must be researched and examined to quantify the implications of athletics success. This quantitative research study analyzed universities' overall private contributions to determine if there was a significant difference in the percent of overall financial support to the institutions following a year of athletics success. For this study athletics success included participation in either the Division I men's basketball NCAA Final …

Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students: A Comparison Study Of Student Athletes Versus Nonathletes, Kimberly R. Dyke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The place of sports in academic institutions has been analyzed at length for several years. However most studies focus on the participation of high school and university students in school sports. Very little research exists to suggest a positive or negative correlation between academic achievement and participation in interscholastic sports at the elementary level. As a result the relationship between academic performance and participation in school sports among elementary students in grades 4 and 5 was investigated in this study. Through an independent-samples t test analysis of 1,605 fourth and fifth grade boys and girls, it was determined that students …

Student-Athlete Perceptions Of Increased Internationalization In College Athletics, Erica Zonder

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the increase in the number of international student-athletes in Division I college athletics on the experience of international and domestic student-athletes, specifically by investigating the perceptions of female athletes participating in sports that have high percentages of international student-athlete involvement. Scholarship opportunities, school choice, playing time, and recruiting areall areas that were explored through a questionnaire. This study potentially fills a gap in the research regarding the increased participation by international student-athletes on both the domestic and international student-athlete experience. Results indicated that international and domestic student-athletes had different perceptions of their recruiting experience …

Motivation In Athletes With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder: Sq, Eq And Aq Relationships To Preferred Feedback, Julia C. Harreschou

Scripps Senior Theses

All athletes are driven by motivation, sources or reasons to push their bodies to their limits and continue to do so regularly. There have been several studies concerning motivation in typical athletes, and many regarding social motivation in people with High Functioning Autism (HFA), however most have been limited to children, and there have been no investigations into HFA athletes’ motivation. The current study looks into the role of social dimensions in athletics, and tests how one’s gender and placement on the Empathy Questionnaire (EQ), Systemizing Questionnaire (SQ), and on the Autism Questionnaire (AQ) affect intrinsic motivation in athletics. It …

Exploring Motivation Through Athlete Communication, Tye G. Davis

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the communication ecology of athlete motivation. Furthermore, gender differences in communication ecologies were evaluated, as were variations in communication tendencies for highly and lowly motivated athletes. Findings suggest that teammates and parents are strong motivators for athletes. Mass media were associated with athlete motivation while social media were not. Gender differences were found with males reporting being more motivated by mass media than females, while females were more strongly motivated by their parents and friends. There were significant differences found in the communication ecologies of highly motivated athletes compared to less motivated athletes. Athletes who were …

Backboards And Browsers: A Qualitative Examination Of The Experiences Of Division I Student-Athletes In Online Courses, Jonathan Patrick Healy

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the experiences of student-athletes in online education. Interviews were conducted with scholarship student-athletes enrolled at a Bowl Championship Series level, Division I institution. Participants had completed at least one online course while actively participating in their sport. A conceptual framework was developed to describe the experiences of student-athletes in online education from course selection through completion, describing the nature of course work, perceived challenges and advantages, and the influence of athletics. The resulting themes included: flexibility, the student-athlete affect, use of technology, time management, and lack of interaction.