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Yes / In recent years, constructionist methodologies such as discursive psychology (Edwards & Potter, 1992) have begun to be used in sport research. This paper provides a practical guide to applying a discursive psychological approach to sport data. It discusses the assumptions and principles of discursive psychology and outlines the stages of a discursive study from choice of data through to transcription and analysis. Finally, the paper demonstrates a discursive psychological analysis on sport data where athletes are accounting for success and failure in competition. The analysis demonstrates that for both success and failure, there is an apparent dilution of personal agency, to either maintain their modesty in the case of success or to manage blame when talking about failure. It is concluded that discursive psychology has much to offer sport research as it provides a methodology for in-depth studies of supporting interactions.

Yes / Combining Mikhail Bakhtin's (1990) theoretical position on Architectonics and Erving Goffman's (1979) writings on visual content analysis, the aim of this paper is to explore how female athletes are caught in a complex matrix of power, post - feminist neoliberalism, and self - presentation. The visual images they choose to portray are, therefore, perfect for determining how this cohort of women negotiates social discourses around identity and femininity. Appropriating the Bakhtinian notion of architectonic unity, not only provides an alternative theoretical lens for enquiries concerning the body, identity, and selfhood, but also initiates some thought provoking questions around neoliberal feminism and 'new femininity.' This paper advances on previous research by exemplifying how Serena Williams (considered the greatest female tennis player of all time) combines both her femininity and strong physicality to self - shape a myth - like persona, setting her apart from traditional stereotypes of femininity and 'femaleness.'

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of body attitude to both dietary intake and selected personality characteristics. The study focused on the relationship between dietary intake and both body attitude and personality characteristics as well as differences in body attitude and personality characteristics between female college age lacrosse athletes, dance team members and controls. The subjects were 27 lacrosse players (mean age = 19.4 ± 1.1 y), 20 dance team members (mean age = 19.5 ± 1.4 y) and 64 non- athlete controls (mean age = 20.6 ± 1.5 y). Participants were administered the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitude Questionnaire, the Cognitive Behavioral Dieting Scale and a Silhouette Scale to assess body attitude and selected personality traits. Participants completed a 5-day diet record including 3 consecutive weekdays and 2 weekend days Group mean differences on body attitude and personality traits were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Post-hoc analyses were performed using the Tukey procedure and the Kruskal-Wallis Test. Relationships were determined between dietary intake, body attitude and personality traits utilizing the Pearson Product Moment Correlation procedures. Stepwise multiple regression techniques were utilized in the attempt to develop a valid and reliable prediction equation for dietary intake using body attitude and selected personality characteristics. Significant differences did exist between the athletic groups and the control group on interoceptive awareness, maturity fears, social insecurity, feelings of attractiveness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, bulimia, interpersonal distrust, dietary protein (g) intake, dietary fat (g) intake, dietary fiber (g) intake, and vitamin C (mg) intake. No significant differences were found between the lacrosse and dance team on dietary intake, body attitude or personality traits. Significant relationships did exist between dietary intake and body attitude measures in all three groups. In addition, significant relationships were also found to exist between body attitude measures and personality traits in all three groups. Five different prediction equations were generated using relationships from each individual group and then combined groups. The results of this study indicate that female athletes involved in both aesthetic and non-aesthetic sports, may be purposefully restricting total caloric intake as well as fat intake due to body image dissatisfaction during the competitive season. / Ph. D.

Student-athletes must constantly balance their athletic, academic, and social roles. Their dual career can easily be overwhelming. Missing classes because of intense travel can be disruptive to the flow of classes and material. Online education is one way to provide a personalized, portable, on-demand learning environment that is flexible regarding both time and location, doesn't require travel to and from campus, is self-paced, and is provided at the learner's convenience. The purpose of this study was to determine general concerns experienced by Virginia Tech student-athletes, as well as their perceptions and practices about online education. Understanding student-athletes' needs and wants can help promote high quality online course development. In addition, it allows educators to tailor marketing specifically to student-athletes and increases the likelihood that students will experience positive online learning experiences. Data was collected using focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a demographic questionnaire. Student-athletes from all varsity teams were purposively selected for two revenue sports sessions and two non-revenue sports sessions targeting 6-8 athletes in each group. Five key informant interviews were conducted with personnel from the athletic department. Participants seemed to want the best of both worlds, preferring the convenience of online courses, but also desiring regular contact and interaction with faculty and other class members (social component). The non-revenue athletes preferred taking classes in a traditional classroom to learn material. They preferred taking online classes when they travel, for time issues, or easy credit. Though all student-athletes stated that they took advantage of online classes, the revenue athletes seemed to appreciate them more and were more willing to take more online classes to help ease their schedule. A purely online education program would not result in balance. / Ph. D.

This research compared physical characteristics of bodybuilders to judges' rankings, and compared the judges' rankings across three levels of judges: Elite, Trained, and Untrained. Twenty-nine male and nine female bodybuilding athletes consented to anthropometric and circumference measurements. The independent variables in this study were bodyfat, fat-free weight, and proportionality of muscle. Three groups of judges ranked male and female athletes in the Open, Novice, Collegiate, and Masters divisions. The measurements of proportionality of muscle, bodyfat, girths, and fat-free weight were analyzed using simple and multiple regression. The judges' rankings in each class were compared using reliability coefficients, correlation, repeated measures analysis of variance, and the generalized theory for inter-rater reliability. There were significant correlations between the Elite judges' rankings and bodyfat in the Men's Open lightweight class. The Trained and Elite judges' rankings were significantly correlated with bodyfat in the Women's Novice class. Fat-free weight was significantly correlated with the Untrained and Elite judges' rankings in the Women's Novice division. Proportionality of muscle was significantly correlated with the Elite and Trained judges' rankings in the Men's Open lightweight class. Elite and Trained judges' rankings were significantly correlated with bodyfat and proportionality of muscle. All three groups of judges' were significantly correlated with the Overall rankings. The Trained judges' rankings were more correlated and more reliable with the Elite judges. The inter-rater reliability scores were higher for the Elite and Trained judges than for the Untrained judges. When fat-free weight was substituted for body weight in the calculation of proportionality of muscle, prediction of ranking was enhanced. The education session led to a significant disparity in judges' rankings between Trained and Untrained judges. Bodyfat appears to be a better selection variable when comparing physical measurements to judges' rankings in women. Proportionality of muscle is a better selection variable in predicting judges' rankings in men. Prediction models developed from this investigation need further testing. / Ph. D.

The Career Development Workshop For Athletes was designed to aid in the comprehensive career development effort at Virginia Tech. The pilot research project involved 40 active freshman varsity football players enrolled during Fall and Winter quarters of the 1984-85 school year. The 40 students were randomly selected from a pool of 65 freshman football players. The experimental design was a two stage stratification. The first stage was selection and the second stage was assignment to control and treatment groups. The independent variables were workshop participation and race. The dependent variables were gain scores from the three intercorrelated scales on the Career Development Inventory. The Workshop was conducted over a six week period, each session lasted approximately two hours and met once each week. The four objectives of the workshop were 1) to assist students in the identification and or selection of career interest and goals; 2) to identify a career support network; 3) to assess and identify skills; and 4) to aid in the perception and procurement of self esteem. / Master of Arts

Motivation is a key ingredient of successful athletic performance over time. Although the concept of maximizing motivation has long been of interest to coaches and practitioners, the vast number of motivational theories, principles, and strategies can seem overwhelming and confusing. Consequently, there is a need for providing more holistic frameworks to coaches and practitioners that not only summarize the essential findings of motivation research but also make the information more understandable and applicable in practical settings. The purpose of this study is to present and test the MUSIC Model of Motivation as a framework that can be applied in performance environments by coaches and practitioners to improve athletes' motivation, engagement, and ultimately, performance. The dissertation includes three related studies. First, I conducted a systematic content analysis to support the application of the MUSIC Model in sports. I analyzed 13 books in the realm of sport psychology and coaching. Results showed strong evidence that the underlying principles and theories of the MUSIC Model are represented in the sports literature, which supports the application of the model as a holistic framework for coaches. For the second study, Brett Jones and I developed a motivation inventory for athletes by modifying an existing motivation inventory for use with athletes. I collected data from student athletes at a large public university and conducted Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with Principal Axis Factoring and Promax Rotation to examine the factor structure of the inventory scales. I used the results of the EFA to make changes to the inventory. Subsequently, I conducted a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on a second data set to test for model fit. The fit indices for the CFA demonstrated reasonably good fit to the results, which confirmed the five-factor structure of motivation inventory. Reliability analysis based on Cronbach's alpha showed very good results with alpha ratings ranging between .84 and .94. Overall, the findings provided validity evidence for the produced scores of the MUSIC® Athletic Inventory with student-athletes. / Ph. D. / Three studies were conducted to test the feasibility of using a motivation model, designed initially for educational settings (the MUSIC® Model of Motivation), in athletic settings by coaches. The first study showed that the underlying theories and principles of the MUSIC Model of Motivation are represented in the sport psychology and coaching literature. This is important because it demonstrates that it may be possible to apply the MUSIC Model in athletic settings. The second and third study tested an athletic version of a questionnaire (the MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory) that was originally designed to assess students’ perceptions of the MUSIC model components in educational settings. Titled the “MUSIC® Model of Athletic Motivation Inventory,” this newly developed questionnaire was adapted from the academic version so that it could be administered to student-athletes at a large public university. The results indicated that the athletic version of the inventory can produce valid scores with student-athletes in competitive sports settings. These findings indicate that coaches could consider administering the newly developed questionnaire to assess athletes’ perceptions of the athletic setting. Based on the results, they could modify their coaching strategies and/or try new coaching strategies consistent with the MUSIC® Model of Motivation.