1,721,063 research outputs found
Relationships between Team-Referent Attributions and Sport Outcomes: Moderating Effects of Team Contextual Factors
Full text linkPeople’s explanations for why team events occur (i.e., team-referent attributions) are instrumental in subsequent cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses. The nature of these relationships is likely dependent on the contexts in which they occur. The purpose of this PhD was to examine the extent to which contextual factors structure the relationships between attributions and sport outcomes. Chapters 1 and 2 provide an introduction and detail three team contextual factors that could structure the relationships between team-referent attributions and sport outcomes. The subsequent three chapters detail empirical investigations examining if these contextual factors moderate team-referent attribution-sport outcome relationships. In Chapter 3 the moderating roles of dispositional team- referent attributions on the relationships between situational team-referent attributions and collective efficacy were examined. Results indicated that adaptive dispositional attributions might buffer against the negative effects of maladaptive situational attributions. In Chapter 4, two studies were used to examine the moderating role of social identity on the relationships between team-referent attributions and sport outcomes. Results indicated that relationships between attributions and collective efficacy vary at different levels of social identity. In Chapter 5, the effect of team-referent attributions and attributional consensus on interpersonal outcomes and performance were examined. Two experiments in which participants were led to believe their teammate agreed or disagreed with their personal team-referent attribution revealed that high attributional consensus led to more positive interpersonal and performance outcomes. Chapter 6 provides a summary and theoretical explanation for the findings, as well as strengths, limitations, and future directions relevant to the research conducted. At a specific attribution level, the results of this thesis indicate that athletes’ teams might help structure the way they think about their attributions. At a broad level, the results of this thesis highlight the importance of considering contextual factors when exploring group level constructs within sport
Attributions: Contemporary research and future directions
Full text linkThis article focuses on the doctoral research of the winner of the 2009 DSEP PhD Dissertation Prize, Peter Coffee. Based upon proposals by Rees et al. (2005), seven studies are discussed, collectively providing support for the following propositions: (a) controllability is an important attribution dimension; (b) sport attribution research should examine alternative perspectives to those of Weiner's (1979, 1985, 1986) model; and (c) attribution research should move beyond examining main effects of attribution dimensions to exploring interactive effects. The programme of research demonstrates the potential theoretical and applied advantages for examining an expanded conceptualisation of generalisability dimensions, together with testing interactive effects of attribution dimensions. The article concludes with suggestions for future research
Mental Toughness, Mental Well-being, and Performance within a British Army Recruit Training Environment
Full text linkThe purpose of the current exploratory study was to examine the relationship between mental toughness (MT), mental well-being (MWB) and individual performance within a British military phase -1 training establishment. A cohort of military recruits were recruited (n = 268) of which 212 (79.1%) were male and 56 (20.9%) female. Both self-report and observer-rated measures were administered over a 12 month period at weeks 4 and 13 of the 14 week training course.
Results revealed no significant positive relationship between MT and individual performance, and no significant increase in MT as a result of phase 1 military training. However, a significant relationship was revealed between MWB at week 13 and performance (including when controlling for values at week 4), and there was an increase in levels of MWB between weeks 4 and 13. Furthermore, follow up analyses revealed that both dimensions of MWB (eudaimonic, hedonic) contributed to the significant increase in individual performance at the end of Phase-1 training at week 13. In summary, the current study reveals that MWB is a significant positive predictor of performance within a Phase - 1 military training environment. However, for MWB and performance to be positively developed, the current study highlights that both the eudaimonic and hedonic dimensions of the construct must be experienced and supported
The Potential Costs of High Cohesion in Sport Teams
Full text linkCohesion is essential for team harmony and performance. It is universally sought in sport teams. The benefits have been extensively studied and are a requirement of team success. Counter to wide held belief, cohesion is not an intrinsically positive phenomenon. This thesis aimed to develop more understanding of the potential disadvantages or costs of high cohesion in sport teams to fill a significant gap in the literature. Study 1 examined the extent and nature of these costs. Athletes perceived similar costs. Fourteen categories of costs were identified with perceived pressures and communication issues demonstrated to be strongly significant. Study 2 was framed in narrative theory to explore costs experienced over the life-span career of a retired professional motor sport co-driver. The most significant costs experienced were pressure to perform and pressure to conform. The key influencing factors were a performance narrative along with what was identified as a new narrative type, the team performance narrative. Study 3 utilised the lens of narrative theory to explore when and where costs were not experienced by a current elite motorsport sport driver and his team. Buffers were indicated. Study 4 was a case study of a high performing team where across the entire season team cohesion was high but performance wasn’t reciprocated accordingly. High cohesion produced costs of conformity and normative influence, rigid demands and methods with narrow goal focus, communication issues and pressure to perform. These costs are all inter-related and interacted to have a negative impact on performance. This thesis raises awareness of the potential costs of high cohesion in sport teams and, by offering a new model – the Cohesion Costs’ Reduction Model - for identifying strategies to minimise these potential costs, aims to improve individual wellbeing in a team and improve team performance
A Talent Transfer Lifecycle Model in Sport
Full text linkThis thesis focussed on examining the talent transfer experiences as lived by the athletes whom went through transitions. The purpose was to examine why athletes chose to continue in their pursuit of international competition by switching sports as well as understanding how they managed the process and their own unique experiences.
Talent transfer is a process occurring when an athlete ceases or reduces their involvement in a sport in which they have invested significant time and concentrates their efforts in a sport that is new to them but involving similar skills. The process comprises of athletes who might be able to perform if fast tracked into other sports with sporting organisations seeing the benefits of this alternative talent identification (TID) system with specific examples of success. The first study (chapter 3) examined the athletes’ experiences through the transition of talent transfer. Ten athletes were interviewed: five from a supported talent transfer programme (UK Sport/National Governing Body: NGB); and five that went through the process of their own accord (informally). The purpose of the second study (chapter 4) was to examine the subjective experiences and one athlete’s meaning of the talent transfer process, who moved from judo to cycling and internationally medalled in both. A life history was chosen as the methodology in which to convey the information gathered through the process. The purpose of the third study (chapter 5) was to explore 10 purposeful athletes’ experiences of the talent transfer process to understand their unique experiences within a supported NGB programme through unstructured interviews.
The results from all three studies are discussed and culminate in a model of the talent transfer process (chapter 6) with limitations and future research directions also discussed. In conclusion, the findings offer a unique examination into athletes’ experiences through the Talent Transfer Lifecycle Model
A psycho-educational curriculum for sport career transition practitioners: Development and evaluation
Full text linkThe aim of this thesis is to extend sport career transition knowledge by developing and evaluating a psycho-educational curriculum for sport career transition practitioners. Study 1 provides an extensive overview of organisational intervention programmes for sport career transition, as well as of training and development programmes for sport career transition practitioners from 19 countries worldwide. The purpose of Study 1 was to examine the following five features of sport career transition organisational intervention programmes and training and development programmes for sport career transition practitioners: 1) At the government level, which organisation is responsible for the delivery of sport career transition organisational intervention programmes? 2) What is the typical strategy of sport career transition organisational intervention programmes? 3) Which activities and events are included in sport career transition organisational intervention programmes? 4) Who is responsible for the delivery of sport career transition organisational intervention programmes? and 5) Do sporting organisations have training and development programmes for sport career transition practitioners? Findings from Study 1 were used to inform Study 2 and to supplement the literature review. According to the literature, training and development programmes for sport career transition practitioners remain scarce, while the number of sport career transition organisational intervention programmes is gradually increasing. The purpose of Study 2 was to develop and evaluate a novel psycho-educational curriculum for sport career transition practitioners. There were three stages of development and evaluation: (1) content development, (2) curriculum design and (3) curriculum evaluation. To achieve the goal of Study 2, a focus group and a two-round Delphi method were implemented. The final version of the psycho-educational curriculum is presented in Chapter 5. The purpose of Study 3 was to test a key aspect of the psycho-educational curriculum developed in Study 2 concerning 38 competences of sport career transition practitioners. A curriculum package consisting in the key parts from the overall curriculum was developed for Study 3. The findings revealed that the curriculum package positively affected the confidence of the study participants in 38 competences concerning sport career transition. This demonstrates that the curriculum is effective for the development of sport career transition practitioners, as the study participants exhibited greater confidence on all four factorsDual Career Transition Management, Skill Transfer, Social Support, and Career Planningwhen completing the curriculum package. The discussion in Chapter 7 focuses on both the theoretical and practical implications of the research, limitations and future research directions. In conclusion, the findings presented here deepen the knowledge of sport career transition in the areas of organisational intervention programmes for high performance athletes and training and development programmes for sport career transition practitioners. In addition, a novel psycho-educational curriculum for sport career transition practitioners is developed and evaluated
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Decision Making Skill and Complex Problem Solving in Team Sports
Full text linkThis thesis aimed to enhance understanding of the nature of knowledge bases possessed by elite sports performers which underpin perceptual-cognitive and decision making skills. Two main theories were considered; Active Control of Thought (ACT*) and Representational Redescription (RR). The purpose of Study 1 was to examine the anticipatory ability of elite and non-elite players in football and hockey. The results indicated that elite players in both sports were quicker and more accurate in their expectation of pass destination. Study 2 aimed to understand the extent to which knowledge is transferable. The results indicated that elite players’ knowledge is relatively domain specific although some elements of underlying task strategy may transfer. The objective of Study 3 was to explore the means by which elite and non-elite players in football and hockey identify and differentiate between possible decisions. Results showed elite players’ rationale was based on deeper theoretical principles whilst non-experts utilised relatively superficial information and naïve theories. Study 4 focussed on problem representations of elite and non-elite football players. Results revealed elite players’ representations were more pertinent, connected and articulated in a more effective manner. Overall, the findings from the current thesis provide advanced understanding of the knowledge bases responsible for perceptual-cognitive and decision making skill, and such understanding may assist attempts to enhance athletes’ performance and support future research
Investigating the mechanisms of social support’s effects on sport-related outcomes: A social identity approach
Full text linkThe purpose of this thesis was to conduct and report an original investigation into the mechanisms of social support’s effects upon sport-related outcomes using the social identity approach, with a view to better understand what constitutes effective social support. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and overview of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides a literature review of extant social support and social identity literature in sport. In Chapter 3, I report longitudinal relationships between stress, dimensions of perceived support, and social identification as temporal contributors to the development of burnout dimensions. In Chapter 4, I report the main and interactive effects of stress, dimensions of perceived support, and social identification upon dimensions of burnout. In Chapter 5, a large qualitative investigation was conducted to investigate how social identity influenced the design, provision, and receipt of social support in a Rugby Academy. Chapter 6 provides a summary of the findings, along with a general discussion of the findings’ implications, the thesis’ limitations and strengths, recommendations for future research, and commentary on the significance of the findings. Overall, this thesis makes several original contributions to knowledge, ultimately demonstrating that a range of social identity processes influence the mechanisms underpinning the design, provision, and receipt of social support. This is done in ways that can be both more or less adaptive depending on (a) the context (e.g. levels of stress and/or shared social identification, geography, etc.), (b) aspects of social support (e.g. perspective and dimension of social support), and (c) sport-related outcomes of interest (e.g. dimensions of burnout, whether the outcome is considered adaptive and/or meaningful to group members, etc.). These conclusions would emphasise that a better understanding of what constitutes effective social support could be gained by making bespoke (e.g. context-, dimension-, and outcome-specific) assessments and predictions of the identity-based implications behind social support
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