Sports Studies Commons^™

Strengths-Based Leadership Traits In Intercollegiate Student-Athletes, Caitlin Thilges

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the top five HIGH5 leadership strengths of collegiate level student-athletes in relation to formal and informal leaders. Collegiate student-athletes (N = 97) completed the HIGH5 Test, designed to assess leadership strengths. A frequency analysis was conducted on the whole population resulting in the strengths of: Coach, Empathizer, Deliverer, Time Keeper, and Philomath emerging as prominent. Formal and informal leaders’ strengths were also analyzed. Emergent strengths shared between formal and informal leaders were: Deliverer, Time Keeper, Coach, and Empathizer. Whereas the strength of Believer emerged in formal leaders and Optimist and Thinker emerged …

An Exploration Of Commitment In Walk-On Athletes, Clint Huemann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine two types of commitment with intercollegiate athletes as well as differences between walk-on (non-scholarship) athletes and scholarship athletes (partial/full) using the sport commitment model (SCM; Scanlan et al., 2016). Participants included 153 Division I athletes (54 males, 98 females, & 1 nonbinary) from 12 different intercollegiate sports at the University of Northern Iowa. These participants were between the ages of 18 and 24 years of age (M = 20.26 years, SD = 1.31). Approximately 35% of the participants were on a full scholarship, 41.8% were on partial scholarship, and 22.9% of the …

Young Athletes' Perceptions Of Playing Through Pain, Aubri Keesee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Throughout the early career of an athlete, they are introduced and socialized into the sport ethic culture of risk of playing through pain. The purpose of this paper was to examine factors thought to influence young athletes’ conformity to the sport ethic by playing through pain. These factors included: athletic identity, fear of failure, and perceived pressure from important others to play through pain (Jessiman-Perreault & Godley, 2016; Nixon, 1994). The researcher contacted sport club organizations, recreational clubs, and school principals to seek cooperation. Participants included 140 male and female athletes aged 11-18 years old. Participants completed the Risk of …

"I Was A Trailblazer": A Phenomenological Study Of The Baseball Playing Experience Of Girls, Aj Richard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Baseball is a reflection of America (Briley, 1992). The game is immersed in traditions. Many of these traditions are gendered. Baseball is built on myth, and these myths have served the purpose of keeping baseball white, heterosexual, and male. Baseball is also characteristic of enduring inequalities and discrimination. Sixty years after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, owners, managers, coaches, CEOs, and fans are still overwhelmingly white and male (Chang, 2017; Lapchick, 2019). Although the participation of girls in baseball can be traced back to the beginnings of the game, they have faced persistent opposition. According to Batts Maddox (2019), …

An Analysis Of Youth Participation In Athletics, Jonathan Wayne Klein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

School athletics has a significant impact on the development of youth. This study is an exploration of the differences between youth who participate in school athletics and those who do not. Specifically, the study examined youth academic performance and behavior referrals, and variables such as grade level, age, gender, and ethnicity. In addition, the study examined whether or not there was a relationship between participation in the school’s free or reduced lunch program and athletic participation.

To determine the differences and relationships of youth that participate in school athletics and those who do not participate, an existing dataset of 4,078 …

Aquatic Managers Of Northeast Iowa : A Description Of Current Practices Of Staff Training And Implementation Detailing Competencies, Frequency, And Evaluation, Tracy N. Carey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe how aquatic managers implement aquatic staff training and development. According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. organizations spend more than $50 billion annually on employee training. Organizations place an important emphasis on training and development for their employees. Aquatic facilities play an important role in the communities they serve. Operating an aquatic facility has become increasingly more complex in recent years due to new technology with filtration systems, differentiating certifications and facility regulations.

Therefore, aquatic managers must ensure their lifeguards are capable and competent of doing everything …

The Impact Of Content Knowledge, Specialized Content Knowledge, Peer Analysis And Self-Analysis On Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers' Error Detection Abilities, Debra S. Sazama

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the change in specialized content knowledge (SCK), specifically error detection skills, and sought to answer the following questions: (a) Does attending a common content knowledge (CCK) and SCK workshop and assessing videotaped performances of a volleyball skill (forearm pass) result in increased ability to identify performance errors in that skill?, and (b) Does attending a CCK and SCK workshop and then assessing one’s own performance have a greater impact on error detection skill development as compared to assessing the performance of a peer?

Participants were 20 undergraduate physical education teacher education (PETE) students (12 male and 8 …

Female Athletes' Perceptions Towards Alcohol And Performance: A Psychological Approach, Stephanie Dalmacio

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Alcohol consumption amongst athletes has been a frequently debated topic with common beliefs being mostly negative. This study aimed to investigate former and active female athletes’ perceptions toward alcohol consumption prior to competition. The design used for this study was exploratory-descriptive in nature. A questionnaire was administered to 111 female athletes from 17 different countries. Since the majority of the respondents were tennis players (n = 85), results were presented for this more homogenous group. The questionnaire was comprised of 10 questions that examined demographics, perceptions regarding whether alcohol was more likely to help or hurt performance, and alcohol consumption. …

The Variation Of Center Of Mass Excursion Within And Between Innings And Its Relationship To Pitched Ball Velocity In Collegiate Softball Players, Leah Renee Embrey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to measure the changes to excursions of the COM with pitch count and innings pitched in a collegiate softball game. Additionally, the effect of excursion on pitched ball velocity was investigated.

Twenty-six collegiate pitchers were recorded using a high speed video camera. The first three fastballs and the last three fastballs in each inning were used to determine the COM position during the stride foot takeoff, the lead foot touchdown, and the release. Ball velocity was also calculated from the digitization of each video. MatLab and Excel were used to calculate the excursions between …

Effects Of A Short Term Mental Skills Training Program On Mental Toughness, Mitchell Edward Mleziva

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Context: Mental toughness is considered to be one of the most important psychosocial skills an athlete can attain to be successful in sports competition. Mental toughness has also been acknowledged as one of the most popular terms used in sport psychology and is the least understood. The majority of mental toughness research focuses on how mental toughness should be defined, is developed, and the key aspects of mental toughness. Minimal research has examined whether an athlete’s mental toughness can change or improve due to the use of a mental skills training program. Objective: To determine if mental toughness can change …

3d Variability In Ball Toss And Impact Location For Tennis Serves In Collegiate Female Players, Javier Ignacio Hervas

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recent research has been focusing in the tennis serve to get deeper knowledge about its phases and the factors involved for better performance. This study analyses one aspect of the tennis serve that it was not being considered before, and not too much information was available to the public: The tennis ball toss. A player who can develop consistency and a high efficiency of serve percentage during a tennis match will increase their chances of success. The objective of the tennis serve is to place the ball in the opposite court within the opposite serve quadrant to where the opponent …

Longitudinal Analysis Of Perceived Body Image, Sport Commitment, Burnout, And Athletic Injury, Erik Chaouch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Injury is a risk that all athletes face while participating in sport. How injuries affect athletes perceived body image, sport commitment levels, and burnout levels are not yet fully understood. Athletes are aware of what the media portrays an athlete as, aware of what peers think an athlete should look like, and even have their own pre-conceived notions as to what an athlete’s body should look like. Many athletes perceive their bodies to be appropriate for their sport, yet there is dissatisfaction with their own bodies in the context of what is socially considered to be attractive. A distorted body …

Aquatic Strategies And Techniques And Their Benefit On Children With Autism, James G. Hall

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Swimming lessons are recommended as a useful health promotion intervention and life-saving skills for individuals with ASD. This qualitative study examined the perceived benefits of swimming lessons for children with ASD, with particular focus on aspects that can potentially help maximize the instruction of lessons for this population. This study utilized multiple methods to gain an in-depth perspective on the implementation of strategies and techniques for learn-to-swim programs for the six subjects with ASD. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with two instructors, the parents of the six children along with observational data collected from the researcher. Thematic analysis of the …

Perceptions Of Dimensions Of Service Quality And Recreational Benefits In Collegiate Recreational Sports Programs, Christopher Berne Denison

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An enduring and essential element of collegiate recreational sports programs is an emphasis on providing high quality, high impact programs and services. In addition, participants in collegiate recreation settings have an expectation to receive benefits as a result of their participation. If recreational sport programs cannot meet the expectations of participants in their pursuit of these benefits, continued participation is unlikely. As collegiate recreational professionals work to continually improve their programs and services, they should also understand the needs and wants of their participants. Understanding what participant needs and wants are should allow leisure service providers to improve the programs …

Effect Of Limb Circumference On Intramuscular Cooling During And Following An Ice Bag Application After Exercise, Marcus A. Sojka

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Context: Ice bags are commonly applied following exercise, but the effect of limb size on cooling duration and rewarming has not been documented. Objective: Investigate the effect of limb circumference on cooling duration to 10°C below resting baseline and examine the subsequent rewarming trends. Design: Two separate designs were used: a 1 X 2 cross-over design on limb circumference (large circumference [LC: 58-63.5cm] and small circumference [SC: 50-54cm]) and duration of treatment (time to 10°C below baseline) and a 2 X 7 cross-over design on the two limb circumference groups (LC and SC) and the rewarming trend at time Imd, …

Preferences Toward Gender Of Coach And Perceptions Of Roles Of Basketball Coaches, Jacqueline Lee Kalin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Framed within role congruity theory, the current study examined (a) if female collegiate basketball players have a preference toward male or female head and/or assistant coaches, (b) if the gender and enjoyment level of past head coaches influence preferences toward a male or female head coach and/or influence the perceived roles of women's basketball head coaches, (c) if there is a relationship between the perceived roles of women's basketball head coaches and female collegiate basketball players' preferences toward male or female head coaches, and ( d) if the enjoyment level of past and/or current assistant coaches influence preferences toward male …

Comparing Freshmen And Transfer Student-Athletes To Returning Student Athletes On Stress, Social Support, Anxiety, And Injury Risk, Emily Link

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of transitioning to Division I collegiate athletics on the stress-injury relationship and perceptions of social support. The secondary purpose of this study is to compare entering freshman and transfer student athletes to returning student athletes (sophomore, juniors, seniors, and 5th year seniors) on life and sport stress, sport anxiety, and injury occurrence. The injury stress relationship has been examined since Andersen and Williams designed the stress injury model suggesting that many factors occur that could increase the risk of injuries. Some of these factors include an increase in negative life …

Gender Differences In Maximal Aerobic Capacity In Trained Junior Triathletes, Carson Elliott Christen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The major purpose of this thesis was to determine if there are gender differences in maximal aerobic capacity (V02 max) in trained elite junior triathletes. The study analyzed V02 max data on a treadmill and cycle ergometer to determine potential differences in V02 max. A secondary purpose was to determine if significant differences existed in V02max when determined on a treadmill and cycle ergometer. Previous research has identified males have significantly greater V02 max values compared to females for both absolute (ml°min-1) and relative (ml°kg-1min-1) units. Little information is available on whether or not the gender difference in V02 max …

Analysis Of Selected Team Performance Measures And Their Correlation With Game Outcome In 1-Aa College Football, John Paul Hildebrand

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

While the popularity of American Football has grown over the last century, so has the complexity with which the game is played. The hours spent by coaches, players, fans, and experts dissecting every aspect of the game is astonishing. While some people analyze football as a hobby or to report the game, coaches and player's careers are drastically affected by what they can draw from the data research. Statistical analysis strategies in football have become more complex and more widespread over the last 25 years, particularly since the use of computers and computer software has become so common place. Any …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Mental Toughness And Success In College Basketball, Nathan T. Oakland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Mental toughness has been viewed as a vital attribute and characteristic in the world of athletics since the beginning of sport. Mental Toughness began to gain notoriety in the public forum however, when Vince Lombardi won Super Bowl I in 1967 as the Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. Coaches and athletes alike often speak of mental toughness and its importance, though in the world of athletics, the challenge has been the overall lack of a sound definition of mental toughness. Until recently, research has been sparse on the topic which has led to confusion and misunderstanding of mental …

A Descriptive Study Of The Leadership Behaviors Of Ncaa Division I And Ii Head Basketball Coaches As They Pertain To The Path-Goal Theory, Troy Curtis Muilenburg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived leadership behaviors of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and II men's basketball head coaches. Specifically, this study examined the training and instruction, social support, and positive feedback behaviors as assessed using the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) (Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980). A secondary purpose was to examine potential relationships between these behaviors, win/loss percentages, and head coaching experience. Based on path-goal theory, it was hypothesized that the scores for the training and instruction, social support, and positive feedback behaviors would be high, and there would be a positive relationship …

Exploring The Relationship Between Parent Beliefs And Athletes' Perceptions: A Sport Commitment Approach, Heather M. Dewaard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parents' and gymnasts' perceptions on sport commitment constructs. The sport commitment model developed by Scanlan et al. (1993) provides a theoretical framework in which to explain why athletes participate. Two constructs in the sport commitment model, social constraints and support, represent the social influence factors which can be perceived as supportive or pressuring and may come from a variety of sources such as: parents, coaches, teachers, and peers. Parents tend to play an important role in their child's sport experiences (M.R. Weiss & Ferrer-Caja, 2002), and may influence an …

Season Long Evaluation Of Relationships Between Several Variables And Hitting Efficiency In Four Division I Volleyball Players, Patricia Raelyn Dietz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Throughout a collegiate volleyball season game performance fluctuates game to game and even match to match. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between several anthropometric and independent variables and hitting efficiency in four Division I athletes. Subjects were four female Division I volleyball players who participate in a hitting position. Subjects were tested weekly on vertical jump approach height (VJ), reactive strength index (RSI) using an AMTI force plate, BM (BM), and body composition (BF%). Pearson product moment correlations showed no significant correlations between hitting efficiency and each of the indpendent [sic] variables for each individual or …

Differences In Junior High, High School, And College Coaches’ Self-Perceptions Of Behavior, Scott D. Salthun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine coaches' self-perceptions of their competence in (a) training and instruction, (b) positive feedback, and (c) social support. Also, differences in coaches' gender, competitive level, leadership style, gender of athletes, age, and number of years coaching were investigated in relation to their self-perceptions. A modified questionnaire from Ipinmoroti (2002) was used as the instrument in this study. The questionnaire included three of the five subscales of the leadership scale for sport: (a) training and instruction, (b) positive feedback, and (c) social support. A total of 85 coaches participated in this study. A series …

An Analysis Of Coaching Efficacy In Volunteer Soccer Coaches, Christopher Lee Kowalski

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between five independent variables and volunteer soccer coaches' overall coaching efficacy as measured by motivation efficacy, character building efficacy, game strategy efficacy, and technique efficacy and five independent variables. The five independent variables explored included the age of a coach, a coach's gender, previous years of coaching experience, participation in a coaching training/licensing/certification program, and previous playing experience.

The study involved 69 participants who coached for the Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Association (CVYSA). The first part of the instrument used to measure coaching efficacy was a questionnaire discussing the various …

Relationship Between Playing Ability And Selected Performance And Physical Measures In High School Football Players, Timothy Scott Birkey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Training Variables Of Male And Female Collegiate Cross Country Runners, Kori J. Stoffregen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of the study was to describe training variables of the individuals and teams that participated in the 1995 Men's and Women's NCAA Division 1,11,111 Cross Country Championships. Subproblems in this study were (a) to determine the relationship between weekly mileage and training intensity and performance within and across all divisions and (b) to determine if the differences exist between selected training variables by performance tiers and divisions. A questionnaire developed by the investigator was used to gather information regarding weekly mileage, intensity, and duration the months of August, September, October, and November. The questionnaire was sent to …

An Investigation Of Women’S Motivational Factors To Run A Marathon, Michelle Roland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to begin to understand what motivates women to participate in marathons. Twenty-seven Caucasian women enrolled in the "Seminar in Fitness and Mental Health" at a Midwest university answered the questionnaire (Motivations of Marathoners Scale Questionnaire). After participants completed the questionnaire a focus group interview was conducted with six participants. The Motivations of Marathoners Questionnaire was used to identify the participants' motives to run a marathon. The questionnaire contained 56 items distributed across nine scales. The scales included the following areas: health orientation, weight concern, self-esteem, life meaning, psychological coping, affiliation, recognition, competition, and personal …

Coaching Philosophy Differences Among Ncaa Division Iii Head Men’S Basketball Coaches, Mark J. Franzen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe the coaching philosophies of men's head basketball coaches at the NCAA Division III level in three areas: (a) coach's expectation of the athlete, (b) coach's role in the overall development of the athlete, and ( c) conditions believed essential to maximize team performance. All of the coaches in this study were from private institutions. A modified questionnaire from Eitzen and Pratt (1989) was used as the instrument in this study. The questionnaire pertained to three areas of coaching philosophy and was divided into three sections: ( a) coach's expectation of the athlete, …

Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Eating Behaviors, And Eating Attitudes Among Female Collegiate Swimmers, Melissa Ann Fey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between self-esteem and eating behaviors/attitudes among female collegiate swimmers. Specifically, the relationship between self-esteem as measured by the Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) and eating behaviors/attitudes as measured by the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) (Gamer, Olmstead. Bohr. & Garfinkle. 1982) was determined for a purposive sample of female collegiate swimmers at the University of Northern Iowa. A total of 24 subjects completed self-report measures on self-esteem and eating behaviors/attitudes. Subjects' Body Mass Index was also assessed. Pearson product-moment correlation was used to examine the relationship among the scores on the Rosenburg …