Sports Sciences Commons^™

Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Children’S And Their Own Sport Experiences, Michael John Diacin

Doctoral Dissertations

Sport participation is a significant aspect in many people’s lives. The experiences they accumulate in sport are shaped by a variety of factors. A combination of personal factors (e.g., demographics), social factors (e.g., socializing sources and the support they provide), and structural factors (e.g., costs and accessible programs) uniquely shape each individual’s experience. Since a variety of factors can shape that experience, it is useful to examine perceptions of the factors were significant in the creation of an individual’s participation opportunities and experiences in sport.

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to gain insight into the personal, social, …

In That Instant It Was Over: The Athlete's Experience Of A Career-Ending Injury, Lauren Aline Loberg

Doctoral Dissertations

A career-ending injury is an event that causes the involuntary termination of an athlete‟s participation in his or her chosen sport. Over the last decade, research has focused on injury and career transition; however little was known about athletes‟ experience of career-ending injury. The purpose of this study was to obtain in-depth descriptions of the lived experience of athletes who have had a career-ending injury. Using an existential phenomenological approach, the focus of the study was on the athletes‟ own perceptions of this experience.

The participants were thirteen male and female former athletes representing a number of different sports. Using …

Racial And Sexual Discrimination Occurring To Korean Players On The Lpga Tour, Seung-Yup Lim

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Korean players on the LPGA Tour regarding issues of social justice. More specifically, this study examined how Korean players perceived their experiences of race and gender during their athletic careers in the U. S.

The participants of the study were 11 Korean professional golfers who were enrolled as members of the LPGA in 2007. The qualitative methodology of interviewing was employed which consisted of semi-structured questions within cultural studies and feminist standpoint theory. Six semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted: three group and three individual interviews. After data collection was …

The Effects Of A Pedometer Intervention On The Physical Activity Patterns Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants, Michael Shipe

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: To assess whether the provision of a pedometer and exercise diary could significantly increase the activity levels of phase II cardiac rehabilitation program patients on the days they did not attend the program. Methods: Seventy patients (53 males, 17 females, age of 68 plus/minus 9 yrs, BMI 29.0 plus/minus 6.1 kg/m² participated in the study. During their first visit to a phase II CRP, patients were assigned to one of two groups. Control patients were given a blinded pedometer (n = 34), while experimental subjects received a pedometer that they could view (n = 36) as well as …

The Dose-Response Association Of Physical Activity And The Metabolic Syndrome Among U.S. Adults: Nhanes 1999-2004, James R. Churilla

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current prevalence of the metabolic syndrome with an emphasis on examining the relationship between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and the metabolic syndrome in a nationally representative sample of the United States (U.S.) adult population within the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The sample for this study included adults (N=5620), 20 years and older, who attended a mobile examination center (MEC) examination in the NHANES 1999-2004. The American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) AHA/NHLBI definition was used to define the metabolic syndrome based …

The Effects Of Low Frequency Electrical Stimulation On Muscular Strength And Endurance In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, Lisa L. Oglesby

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the results of a practical application of a low frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) program of 8 pps to individuals with multiple sclerosis. Previous research has shown that such a program induces a conversion of fast twitch muscle properties to those of slow twitch. Electrical stimulation was applied for 3 hours per day, 6 days a week, for 6 weeks, to the quadriceps femoris muscle of nine subjects with multiple sclerosis. Pre and post measurements of average peak torque, mean force, and fatigue slope were taken as indices of the muscle's strength and …

The Effects Of Augmented Attentional Focus On The Performance With Practice Of A Closed Perceptual-Motor Task For Individuals Who Differ In Task Mastery, John Allen Richards

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of augmented attentional focus on the performance with practice, of a closed perceptual-motor task for individuals who differ in task mastery. Sixty-four male volunteers were assigned to either the beginning or advanced task mastery group (n = 32) based on bowling averages (≤ 130, ≥ 150 respectively). Each subject in the task mastery groups was randomly assigned to one of four augmented focus of attention conditions, i.e., focus on: (a) environmental results of the movement that was performed (KR); (b) the movement that was performed (KP); (c) self via presence …