Degree Name
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Program
Sport Physiology and Performance
Date of Award
5-2024
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Michael W. Ramsey
Committee Members
Michael H. Stone, Margaret Stone, Andrew A. Pustina
Abstract
The primary purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a questionnaire designed to assess coaches’ perceptions of an athlete monitoring program. There are four reasons for this examination of perceptions: 1) it may serve as a check for understanding of how the coach takes in the information presented to them, 2) identify any gaps in the knowledge of the coach which the sport scientist may help to fill, 3) can serve to open a dialog with the coach for ways in which the information may be better tailored to help them improve their decision-making, and 4) the feedback provided can shed insight towards the areas a sport scientist can make more robust (e.g., delivery of information or structure of a training program). Coaches participating in the athlete monitoring program at East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Sport Performance Enhancement Group (SPEG) were invited to participate. There were no statistically significant differences between the pre- vs post- questionnaire responses.
The secondary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the outcomes from the questionnaire and develop an understanding of the present responses. Considering the range of responses submitted by coaches, this serves as an indicator for the sport scientist/Strength & Conditioning Coach to prompt a dialog with the coach of the team they work with to better understand what else they may contribute towards enhancing the coach’s experience with such services.
The tertiary goal of dissertation section is to provide practitioners who are interested in developing a sport scientist program for assessment of athletes with resources to better approach the logistics for developing their own system. Considerations included applying evidence-based practice, implementing precursor methods leading up to data collection (e.g., pre-testing certifications, lab set up, data collection, and testing protocols), approaching data collection (e.g., factors related to assessments, athletes, and additional considerations cover aspects of assessment validity and reliability), and potential assessment methods to consider (e.g., hydration, body composition, vertical jump height (VJH), and maximal strength).
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Fish, David, "Evaluating a Current Athlete Assessment Program" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4361. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4361
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.