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For several reasons, the process of writing and completing the doctoral dissertation has been identified as the most frequent road block for many promising scholars. The goal of this study is to help improve doctoral student dissertation completion by focusing on the crucial, central concerns of effective student writing, faculty mentoring, and the student-advisor relationship. Using an experimental, evocative autoethnographic approach, the following study shows the struggles and successes of a doctoral student managing himself, the university, "life", and most importantly, his doctoral dissertation chair. The findings weave together strategies from storytelling (e.g., plot, characters, and scene) with the personal experiences of a doctoral student and advisor to show a highly contextual narrative and the influence of multiple factors. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the value of situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) as an approach to help students learn to write. Lastly, as a pedagogical tool, the narrative itself may be of practical value to graduate students, dissertation chairs, and policymakers for the purpose of improving graduate student success. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)

The two purposes of this study were to: (a) examine the influence of sport type, academic year, sex, and previous mindfulness experiences on the five facets of mindfulness (i.e., observe [O], describe [D], act with awareness [AWA], non-judging of internal experience [NJIE'], and non-reactivity to inner experience [NRJE], and (b) explore the implementation of mindfulness across a collegiate athletic department. Quantitative data participants included 257 collegiate athletes (136 male, 121 female: M = 20.1 years of age, SD = [+ or -] 1.46), from a western U.S., midsized, private, Division 1 university. Qualitative data participants included 10 individuals (6 staff members and 4 athletes) from the same institution. Results from multivariate tests indicated significant influences of sport type on D (F(12, 230) = 2.65, p < .01. partial eta2 = .12), academic year on AWA (F(4, 238) = 2.61, p = .04, partial eta- = .04), = .04), sex on NR1E (F(1, 238) = 7.26. p < .01, partial eta2 =.03). and previous mindfulness experience on O (F(l, 238) = 4.82, p = .03, partial eta2 = .02). Qualitative data participants reported the following: implementation (individualization and evaluation), perceived benefits (awareness, interpersonal skills, performance, and positive affect), and perceived hindrances (catering to individuals' needs, lack of coach 'buy-in, ' and multiple understandings of mindfulness). This study provides an understanding of factors affecting athletes 'mindfulness and captures individual and organizational perceptions of mindfulness, thereby providing practical insights on how to strengthen mindfulness programming across an organization., Mindfulness is often defined as an 'open-hearted, moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness' (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, p. 24), which has been used as a psychological approach to bring awareness to one's own thoughts, feelings, [...]

Sociologists of sport and coaching have repeatedly drawn upon the theoretical tools of Michel Foucault to map and critique the negative effects of coaches' use of disciplinary practices. Three SCCs and two coach developers participated in multiple learning community meetings interrogating Foucault's concepts to understand how power moves, create new, less disciplinary practices, and address the problems produced by too much discipline. The findings present new conceptual tools to train and move differently by disrupting disciplinary practices: spasmodic tempo training, atemporal training, variable geographic training, variable intra-geographic training, fluid and fragmented periodization, explorative coaching, and strength coach as sage. We call for an appreciation of poststructural informed sport coaching and the development of a discursive sociology of sport coaching praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Winning and losing have consistently been used as one criterion upon which to evaluate coaches. Since winning coaches have long been thought of as knowledgeable and effective at providing instruction, researchers have often studied coaches who have obtained a high winning percentage. While researchers know some about the behaviors and thought processes of winning and losing coaches, this research has often failed to account for how the coach's behavior affects athletes. That is, how do athletes perceive their coach and their coach's instruction? The sole criterion of winning may not sufficiently differentiate which behaviors are instructionally effective versus those that are ineffective, especially from the athlete's perspective. Furthermore, existing research tends to focus solely on winning coaches and coaches in general. In order to better understand coaching effectiveness from the perspective of athletes, research has examined the coaching behaviors athletes prefer and their satisfaction with the coach. While this research consistently suggests athletes prefer coaches to exhibit behaviors related to training and instruction, it is unknown as to when and how coaches should provide instruction, as well as how athletes perceive this instruction. Purpose: In order to further understanding of effective coaching from the athlete's perspective, a study was conducted to determine athletes' lived experiences of poor coaching. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings related to athletes' experiences of poor teaching by the coach. Method: Participants in this study were limited to a convenience sample of 16 current or former athletes who played team sports (e.g. baseball, basketball, football, softball, soccer) at the collegiate, professional, or semi-professional level. Existential phenomenology was the research design chosen for the conduct of the study because it allowed athletes to describe, in detail, what it meant for them to have been poorly coached. Findings: Athletes identified a total of 33 poor coaches, but some of the athletes described the same coach; therefore, only 26 different coaches were actually identified. Of the 26 poor coaches, 17 were head coaches, nine were assistant coaches, and these coaches were employed at a variety of competitive levels (e.g. youth to professional). Athletes reported that poor coaches were "poor at teaching" by not providing useful instruction, not individualizing their teaching to fit the unique needs of each athlete, and being unknowledgeable about the skills and qualities to teach effectively. Conclusions: The theme of the "poor teaching by the coach" represented the multiple ways athletes perceived the coach to be poor at providing useful instruction, individualizing that instruction, managing game tactics, and being unknowledgeable about the skills and qualities to teach effectively. This failure to teach was directly associated with what the athletes talked about and described as not learning from their coaches. In general, the findings of this study were consistent with the findings of research on winning and expert coaches, albeit diametrically opposite. Athletes in this study perceived that they failed to receive instruction in many cases, and what they received was unhelpful, insubstantial, and was detrimental to successful athletic performance. (Contains 2 notes and 2 tables.)

Strength and conditioning (S&C) practitioners need to know and apply varying and diverse psychosocial competencies in their practice. The definitions of psychosocial coaching competencies are poorly understood and multiple interpretations exist. The purpose of this study was to define psychosocial S&C practice terms (i.e. pedagogical, philosophical, psychological, sociocultural) from the perspectives of S&C researchers and practitioners. Using a participatory action research approach, qualitative data were collected from 13 researchers and 30 stakeholders with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA). A qualitative summative content analysis was used to analyze the researchers' and UKSCA stakeholders' definitions of psychosocial competencies. Pedagogical competencies were defined related to the themes of instruction, learning, skill acquisition, feedback, and design structure. Philosophical competencies were defined related to themes of beliefs, values, and style. Psychological competencies were defined related to communication, mindset, relationships, motivation, emotions, learning, and behavior. Sociocultural competencies were defined related to sport norms, understanding differences and different backgrounds, adapting to culture, and coaching behavior and biases. Significant differences existed between researchers' and practitioners' definitions of these terms, particularly with pedagogical, philosophical, and sociocultural competencies. Practitioners often associated psychological coaching competencies with subject matter outside of biophysical knowledge or many aspects spanning diverse social and behavioral sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer behavior studies in the context of sports have been used to examine (a) why subjects consume a sport (Funk, Mahony, & Ridinger, 2002; Wann, Grieve, Zapalac, & Pease, 2008); (b) the process of market segmentation such as examination of consumption by way of sex (Trail, Robinson, & Kim, 2008), gender (Wann & Waddill, 2003), single game attendees and season ticket holders (Funk, Ridinger, & Moorman, 2003); and (c) influence on intended future consumption behavior (e.g., Andrew, Kim, O'Neal, Greenwell, & James, 2009; By on et al., 2011; Byon et al. 2010). To date, most research in this area has neglected the disability sport context. The purpose of this study is to utilize the only existing disability sport scale, the Motivation Scale for Disability Sport Consumption (MSDSC; Cottingham et al., 2012), to identify the motives salient in predicting intended future consumption behaviors, specifically repatronage intentions, future media consumption, and future merchandise purchases. Data were collected form 470 spectators at the Collegiate Wheelchair Basketball Championships held in Arlington Texas. Three multiple regression analyses were conducted, to determine the significance of each of the factors identified in the MSDSC in predicting the outcome variables of repatronage intentions, intended merchandise consumption, and intended media consumption. Results indicated that four motives were significant predictors of all three outcome variables, specifically, acquisition of knowledge, escape, physical skill and social interaction. This research will directly benefit practitioners, such as disability sport organizations, who are interested in expanding their marketing base yet lack the resources for formal marketing departments (IPC, 2010)., Miles Thompson, head coach of the University of Alabama wheelchair basketball team, stated that 'the biggest reason we don't have enough [collegiate wheelchair basketball] teams are budgetary constraints' (personal communication, [...]

Despite its prevalence as a sensitizing concept for research in psychology, the sociology of sport literature on microaggressions is limited and it has not been used to understand sociocultural aspects of sport coaching. In this poststructural creative analytic practice, we provide three short stories of microaggressions in men's sport coaching and their plausible negative effects on mental health. An aim of this paper is to begin to map an understanding of the intersection of sport coaching, mental health, and social identities. To achieve this aim, we weave together scholarship on microaggressions and the sociology of sport and sport coaching with our stories and interpretations. Practical implications are offered and a new, strength based discourse is introduced to the field in the form of microaffirmations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article advances the longstanding need to address psychosocial issues within strength and conditioning (S&C) that have renewed significance with the National Strength and Conditioning Association's entry into accreditation. First, a brief history is presented on the omission of psychosocial issues within S&C and the education of S&C practitioners. Second, the article provides an overview of learning theory and instructional strategies on how to develop essential psychosocial competencies of S&C practitioners. Third, multilevel recommendations are offered to address established calls to improve the education of S&C practitioners, ongoing accreditation efforts, and continued structural changes throughout the growing, global profession of S&C coaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing research on racial microaggressions as a subtle but prevalent form of racial discrimination, research on microaggressions in sport and their effects on the psychosocial wellbeing of athletes is scarce. Moreover, some researchers question the legitimacy of microaggressions due to their subtle nature and inconsistency in how they are experienced (Lilienfeld, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. collegiate student-athletes-of-color experiences with racial microaggressions in sport through a new theoretical lens, Foucauldian poststructuralist theory. We theorized microaggressions as an example of the daily panoptic gaze that leads to self-surveillance and the production of normalized individuals (Foucault, 1995). Eight student-athletes-of-color participated in two interviews: a two-person focus group interview followed by an individual interview. The interviews were analyzed deductively using Sue's (2010) microaggression typology followed by a Foucauldian discourse analysis (Willig, 2013). The results illustrated how student-athletes-of-color experiences and subjectivities were racialized. Within sport, the sport as transcending race discourse was widely circulated and legitimized through various sporting practices, which limited athletes' ability to perceive and acknowledge race and microaggressions. This study sheds light on how racial microaggressions manifest in the lives of student-athletes and how the discourses and practices we take for granted constitute racial subjectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was undertaken to explore how U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female and male head coaches defined and implemented care in their coaching practice. Eighteen coaches (M=39.2 years; nine females, nine males) from eight different sports (baseball, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field/crosscountry, volleyball, and golf) consented to be interviewed via a semi-structured interview guide based on the care literature. Data analysis was conducted using Consensual Qualitative Research with a team of five researchers including an external auditor. Results revealed that care revolved around six domains: (a) definition of care; (b) manifestations of care; (c) limits to capacity to be caring; (d) development of care; (e) factors facilitating care, and (f) factors hindering care. Each domain contained several categories (N=22 total categories) composed of core ideas. Results are presented using participants' own words to illustrate domains and categories. Implications for research and practice are also put forth, which link the findings to the broader U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association coaching context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the need for coach education to develop the essential skill of reflection in coaches (Cushion & Nelson, 2013; Gilbert & Trudel, 2001), the purpose of the current study was to understand how and why 21 coaching students enrolled in a practicum course at a southeastern United States institution engage in reflective practice. This research draws upon Schön's (1983, 1987) work on reflective practice, which underpinned a set of online structured reflective journaling prompts (ORJ) used as an intervention. Each week, for 12 weeks of the practicum course, students were asked to respond to a theoretically informed prompt. We collected data from the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS; Grant et al., 2002), Powell's (1989) levels of reflection rubric, and the students' weekly journal responses. The quantitative results revealed that time had significant influence on levels of reflection (p < .01), but not SRIS. The qualitative findings resulted in 15 themes which were categorized as: students' role frames, students' self-identified weaknesses, students' dilemma identification, and students' responses to dilemmas that describe what students reflected upon in their practicum. These findings are discussed in relation to existing research on reflective practice, student learning in higher education, intrapersonal knowledge development, and the use of technology. Implications for future research and coach educators are offered by considering the prompts influence on the students and the use of technology to facilitate learning in coach education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the repatronage and online consumption of wheelchair rugby viewers. The study aimed to know the validity and reliability if a modified version of Point of Attachment Index as instrument for understanding consumer behavior among wheelchair rugby spectators and provide strategies for marketing disability sports. The study was conducted during the 2010 U.S. Quad Rugby Association (USQRA) Division I and II National Championships held in Birmingham, England.

Psychosocial coaching competencies, including psychological, pedagogical, philosophical, and sociocultural aspects, which underpin an athlete-centred coaching approach, have been largely overlooked by the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) coach education. It is possible to understand why psychosocial competencies have been disregarded by critiquing how stakeholders’ perceptions, such as board members, tutors, assessors, who are responsible for coach education, have been shaped by dominant discourses within sport culture. The purpose of this study is to understand and critique UKSCA stakeholders’ perceptions of psychosocial coaching practices through the lenses of dominant discourses in Strength and Conditioning (S&C) coaching. Thirty stakeholders took part in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. To prompt discussion for the interviews, they were shown video vignettes depicting psychosocial coaching competencies. The data were analysed in two phases. First, a thematic analysis deduced participants’ understandings of the competencies built into each vignette. Second, a poststructural discourse analysis critiqued how a performance-scientific coaching discourse and a discourse of orthodox masculinity impacted stakeholders’ perceptions. The results indicate that stakeholders’ perceptions of psychological and pedagogical effective coaching approaches focused on athletic performance, which disregarding the well-being and personal development of the athlete. Stakeholders also recognised overt sexist coaching practice, which suggest some appraisal of sociocultural and philosophical competencies. Yet, covert sexist microaggressions towards female coaches were often accepted as banter and female coaches’ emotional labour were not recognised. This study advances the literature by showing how the dominant culture of performance-scientific coaching and orthodox masculinity shape what is accepted as effective coaching practice. Such coaching practice de-emphasises psychosocial coaching competencies and limits the impact of equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) strategies, as well as the holistic development of both athletes and S&C coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]