Thesis (M.S.)--Northern State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 22-23).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97).

xvi, 68 p. : ill. / Approximately 1.5 million concussions occur annually in the United States, many affecting individuals between the ages of 15 and 18. Little is known about this age group's response to a concussion as they have been thought to respond differently than adults due to immature brain development. Additionally, relying on symptoms alone to determine level of brain function may lead to early return back to sport participation. Through the use of 3 computerized tests, neuropsychological and attentional deficit recovery post concussion was assessed between 12 subjects with concussions and 12 controls up to 2 months after injury. Memory tasks and symptoms resolved within a week after injury. Executive function tests showed small group differences up to two months post injury, suggesting these types of tests may be a useful tool in the evaluation of concussion recovery and provide an objective measure in evaluation. / Committee in charge: Dr. Li-Shan Chou, Chair; Dr. Lou Osternig, Member; Dr. Sierra Dawson, Member; Dr. Grace Golden, Member

No description available.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Determining the factors that contribute to mental toughness development in athletes has become a focus for researchers as coaches, athletes, and others extol its influence on performance success. In this study we examined a model of mental toughness development based on achievement goal theory, assessing the relations between motivational climates, goal orientations, and mental toughness. Five hundred ninety-nine varsity athletes, representing 13 different sports from six different high schools in a southwestern United States school district, participated in the study. Athletes completed self-report measures assessing parent, peer, and coach motivational climates, goal orientations, and their mental toughness. Initially, I examined the measurement model and found it fit the data well both in the exploratory (SRMR = .06; CFI = .94) and confirmatory (SRMR = .06; CFI = .95) samples. Second, the structural model was examined and found to fit the data well in both the exploratory (SRMR = .08; CFI = .93) and confirmatory samples (SRMR = .07, CFI = .95). Parent task-involving climate, (β = .55; p < .05) and coach task-involving climate (β = .32; p < .05), but not peer task-involving climate (β = .05), were associated with task goal orientation (R2 = .57). Ego goal orientation (R2 = .32) was explained by peer ego-involving climate (β = .15; p < .05), parent ego-involving climate (β = .39; p < .05), and coach ego-involving climate (β = .16; p < .05). Finally, only task goal orientation (β = .75; p < .05) was related to the athletes’ mental toughness (R2 = .56); the ego goal orientation pathway was not significant (β = .04). These results speak to the potential positive influence of parents and coaches on athletes’ mental toughness through their endorsement of task-involving messages and pursuits leading to the development of a task goal orientation.

Grit is defined as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals." Although studied in relation to various outcomes, such as retention and academic performance, few studies have examined variables that may contribute to grit's development. Further, few studies have examined this construct in relation to sport performance or within athletic environments, despite its clear connection to sport-related constructs like mental toughness and resilience. Thus, based in achievement motivation theory, this study examined the relations of the perceived motivational climate as defined by athletes' perceptions of the coaches' behaviors (task vs. ego), athletes' perceptions of their achievement goal orientation (task vs. ego), athletes' perceptions of their implicit theory (i.e., fundamental beliefs regarding whether or not ability can change; growth vs. fixed), and athletes' perception of their level of grit. Male varsity soccer players (N = 81; Mage = 15.80 ± .81) from a large metropolitan area in the south central U.S. completed questionnaires measuring these achievement motivation constructs. The full regression model was significant, accounting for 18% of the grit variance, F(6, 74) = 2.77, p = .017. Within the full model, having a growth mindset (β = .25, p = .035) and endorsing a task goal orientation (β = .36, p = .004) predicted higher levels of grit for the athletes. Neither the coach-created motivational climate, nor the athletes' ego orientation or fixed mindset, were significantly predicted their grit scores. Consistent with Dweck and Duckworth, components of achievement motivation theory, particularly related to a task or growth perspective, may play an important role in athletes' developing a perspective that allows them to work effectively and diligently toward long-term goals.

xiii, 89 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Participation in athletics includes an inherent risk of becoming injured that is related to the nature of the games and activities of the players. Current literature reports that approximately seven million high school students participate in sports yearly in the United States and, during the 2005-2006 sport seasons, 1.4 million injuries were reported. Considering this high number of injuries, there is little doubt that definitive research into the determination of factors that might help predict the degree of injury risk associated with sport participation is warranted. Despite common association of variables such as joint laxity, range of motion, strength and balance with injury, these traditional measures have not proven to be reliable predictors of vulnerability. Consequently, attempts have been made to identify practical methods that may better permit identification of individuals who show a high likelihood of injury during athletic competition. This study examined one such system, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), which utilizes measures of mobility and stability to permit its developers to assert that it can be used to practically and accurately identify vulnerable athletes. Critical data on inter-rater and intra-rater performance were first obtained on a team of athletic trainers to ensure that they could reliably execute the testing methods. Following confirmation of this fact, 112 high school basketball athletes were screened with the FMS and their injuries (non-contact neuromusculoskeletal tissue damage in school-sanctioned basketball) were tracked throughout an entire season. Data analysis to determine if a commonly-used FMS cutoff score of less than 14 out of 21 could identify vulnerable athletes revealed that this value was not significantly related to the likelihood of sustaining an injury. Furthermore, logistic regression revealed that none of the individual predictors (gender, FMS movements, and movement asymmetries) were significant predictors of injury susceptibility. The results indicate that, despite the fact that multiple evaluators and trials can be practically used to evaluate FMS scores in a large group of high school basketball athletes, the test does not appear to be a valid tool in assessing injury risk in this population during an entire season. / Committee in charge: Gary Klug, Chairperson, Human Physiology; Paul van Donkelaar, Member, Human Physiology; Andrew Lovering, Member, Human Physiology; Roland Good, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences

xiii, 89 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Participation in athletics includes an inherent risk of becoming injured that is related to the nature of the games and activities of the players. Current literature reports that approximately seven million high school students participate in sports yearly in the United States and, during the 2005-2006 sport seasons, 1.4 million injuries were reported. Considering this high number of injuries, there is little doubt that definitive research into the determination of factors that might help predict the degree of injury risk associated with sport participation is warranted. Despite common association of variables such as joint laxity, range of motion, strength and balance with injury, these traditional measures have not proven to be reliable predictors of vulnerability. Consequently, attempts have been made to identify practical methods that may better permit identification of individuals who show a high likelihood of injury during athletic competition. This study examined one such system, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), which utilizes measures of mobility and stability to permit its developers to assert that it can be used to practically and accurately identify vulnerable athletes. Critical data on inter-rater and intra-rater performance were first obtained on a team of athletic trainers to ensure that they could reliably execute the testing methods. Following confirmation of this fact, 112 high school basketball athletes were screened with the FMS and their injuries (non-contact neuromusculoskeletal tissue damage in school-sanctioned basketball) were tracked throughout an entire season. Data analysis to determine if a commonly-used FMS cutoff score of less than 14 out of 21 could identify vulnerable athletes revealed that this value was not significantly related to the likelihood of sustaining an injury. Furthermore, logistic regression revealed that none of the individual predictors (gender, FMS movements, and movement asymmetries) were significant predictors of injury susceptibility. The results indicate that, despite the fact that multiple evaluators and trials can be practically used to evaluate FMS scores in a large group of high school basketball athletes, the test does not appear to be a valid tool in assessing injury risk in this population during an entire season. / Committee in charge: Gary Klug, Chairperson, Human Physiology; Paul van Donkelaar, Member, Human Physiology; Andrew Lovering, Member, Human Physiology; Roland Good, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences