Thesis (Ed.M)--Boston University

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

No abstract available / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

The main goal of the thesis is to build upon the existing research literature and to explore the relationship of sport confidence and sports performance, among which a positive correlation is often found. The theoretical part summarizes the present findings regarding this connection, as well as how sport confidence generally works, what constructs it relates to, or how it is measured. In the empirical part, quantitative research on a sample of Sri Lankan swimmers between 17 and 19, executed using the Sport-Confidence Inventory (SCI; Vealey, Knight, 2002), is then presented. Its results showed that participants scoring high at least in one of the three SCI subscales were performing better, regardless of how well the other components were developed, as opposed to participants whose scores were moderate in all the three subscales. The results also pointed to significant differences between the genders, where it showed that men generally scored higher on the level of sport confidence. Series of recommendations for trainers and psychologists working with athletes, but also for potential follow-up studies, can be drawn from the outcomes. Keywords: sport-confidence, multidimensionality of confidence, performance prediction, competitive swimming, SCI

La stagnation est un phénomène fréquent dans le domaine de la natation, bien qu’inexpliqué et incompris, pour lequel peu de solutions sont proposées. Malgré quelques recherches sur ce phénomène, notamment au baseball, la littérature sur le sujet demeure incomplète et ne permet pas de bien cerner le problème de la stagnation. Ainsi, cette étude a pour but premier d’identifier et de comprendre les causes possibles de la stagnation, les changements émotionnels, physiques et sociaux engendrés par un tel phénomène et les stratégies utilisées par les athlètes pour gérer la stagnation. Le deuxième objectif de cette étude est de jeter un regard sur l’impact de l’optimisme sur la résolution de la stagnation. Pour ce faire, des entrevues semi-structurées ont été menées auprès de onze nageurs ayant compétitionné au niveau national canadien. Les nageurs étaient divisés en trois groupes: les nageurs ayant résolu leur stagnation et qui continuent de nager, les nageurs ayant cessé la compétition de natation suite à une stagnation non résolue et ceux qui nagent encore malgré une stagnation non résolue. Les candidats sélectionnés ont complété deux questionnaires sur l’optimisme, le LOT-R et l’ASQ. L’analyse des résultats, réalisée grâce à la théorisation ancrée, a permis de déterminer un ensemble d’émotions vécues par les athlètes et d’identifier des stratégies afin de résoudre la stagnation. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent qu’une balance entre l’optimisme et le pessimisme, une motivation intrinsèque ainsi qu’une auto-détermination chez l'athlète sont des éléments importants afin de surmonter une stagnation. / Even if unexplained and misunderstood, a slump is a frequent phenomenon among high level swimmers for which few solutions are proposed. Despite some previous research especially in the sport of baseball, the literature on this topic is fairly incomplete and does not provide a complete understanding of the problem. Therefore, the primary goal of this study is to get a better understanding of the possible causes of a slump and the emotional, mental, physical and social changes generated by this phenomenon and the strategies used by swimmers in order to break through their slumps. The second goal of this study is to examine the impact of optimism on the resolution of a slump. To reach these goals, semi-structured interviews were held with eleven swimmers who competed at the national level in Canada. Swimmers were divided into three groups: swimmers who resolved their slumps and are still swimming, swimmers who stopped competitive swimming because of an unresolved slump and swimmers who are still swimming even though they are still enduring a slump. Subjects selected were also asked to complete two optimism questionnaires (LOT-R and ASQ). Data analysis, using the grounded theory, identified an emotional patterns experienced by swimmers and certain strategies used by swimmers to resolve their slump. Finally, the results of this study suggest that a balance between optimism and pessimism, an intrinsic motivation and a perception of auto-determination are important elements when trying to overcome a slump.

Title: Swim Smooth System and Swimming Specialization Objectives: Along with The Australian Swim Smooth Swim Type Coaching System criteria assign particular swim types to natural predispositions of selected elite swimmers and thus confirm suitability of their specialization. Methods: This work was carried out as a methodological study that explores both the suitability of specialization in a selected group of elite swimmers and the potential benefits of the Swim Smooth Swim Type System compared to the more commonly used method of one swim type. The study involved measuring, displaying, monitoring, evaluation, analysis and correlation. We measured the stroke length and stroke rate. We observed individual style of freestyle technique. We evaluated the Swim Types, somatotype, personality traits of extroversion and swimmers' potential to either speed, middle distance or endurance performance. We performed analysis of the development of swimmers' personal records in their main discipline. We determined the degree of correlation among particular Swim Type criteria that determine Swim Smooth swim types. We evaluated the swimmers' specialization suitability and outlined way of their further development. Results: Swim Smooth Swim Type System revealed the inadequacy of specialization of one swimmer. For all...