Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1282-4010

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Committee Chair

Dana Voelker

Committee Member

Sam Zizzi

Committee Member

Sofía España Peréz

Committee Member

Emi Tsuda

Abstract

Collegiate women athletes report high rates of body dissatisfaction and wanting more support for improving their body image within their athletic departments. Guided by the Developmental Theory of Embodiment (DTE; Piran, 2017), the purpose of this study was to examine collegiate women athletes’ perceptions of the relationship between their embodiment and aspects of their sport experience. Participants were 311 women currently competing in 24 different sports within NCAA and NAIA athletics. Participants completed the Experience of Embodiment Scale, Subjective Performance Questionnaire, Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2, and open-ended response questions about the perceived relationship between these variables. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used. Statistical analyses examined correlations and group differences between embodiment and sport variables, and template analysis was used to describe athletes’ open-ended responses. Quantitative results showed that embodiment was significantly related to subjective sport performance, sport enjoyment, and constrained sport commitment but not enthusiastic sport commitment. Qualitative analysis revealed three major themes for how embodiment impacts sport experiences for participants: a) feeling positive or negative emotions; b) feeling (dis)connected to and (un)comfortable in their body; c) feeling positive or negative about ones’ appearance. Overall, findings provide preliminary support that embodiment may be related to how collegiate women athletes experience their sport and DTE is a useful sociocultural theoretical framework in women’s sport research and intervention. Practical applications for improving athlete embodiment are discussed.

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