Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2008

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

Department

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Committee Chair

Andrew Ostrow.

Abstract

Although previous research of athletes' attitudes toward sport psychology consulting (Anderson et al. 2004, Martin, 2005) has proven its usefulness, the literature seems to be lacking any similar assessment of athletic training students' attitudes toward sport psychology. Neither has the effectiveness of an educational intervention been assessed with regard to athletic training students' attitudes toward sport psychology. This is surprising given the important role that sport psychology plays in injury rehabilitation. As a result, the primary aim of the current study was to assess the attitudes of athletic training students toward sport psychology and, subsequently, determine the effectiveness of an education intervention on their attitudes toward sport psychology. A secondary aim was to determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention on athletic training students' sport psychology behaviors. Athletic training students (N = 160) were assessed using a modified version of the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised Form (Martin et al. 2002). Athletic training students' attitudes toward sport psychology were also evaluated with respect to their gender and experience with sport psychology. Results revealed that female athletic training students scored significantly lower on the cultural preference scale (M = 3.57, SD = 1.11) than their male counterparts (M = 3.91, SD = 0.90), t (157.9) = 2.14, p < 0.05, ES = 0.14. Furthermore, females also scored significantly lower on the personal openness scale (M = 4.47, SD = 0.91) when compared to males (M = 4.96, SD = 0.95), t (158) = 3.6, p < 0.05, d = 0.3. Additionally, athletic training students who had experience with sport psychology scored significantly higher on confidence in sport psychology consulting (M = 4.67, SD = 0.74) than those who had no previous experience (M = 4.38, SD = 0.90), t (158) = 2.26, p < 0.05, d = 0.2). When a series of 2 X 3 repeated measures ANOVAs were computed to determine the differential effect of the educational intervention on athletic training students' attitudes, scores on the confidence in sport psychology consulting scale significantly increased for the members of the experimental group from pre-test to post-test. F (1.17, 316) = 6.86, p < .01, ES = .04. Additionally, a 2 X 2 repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention on sport psychology behaviors revealed that members of the experimental group reported a significant increase in their reported use of sport psychology behaviors when compared to those in the control group F (1, 158) = 496, p < .01, ES = .75. The practical implications of these results will be discussed within the context of injury rehabilitation.

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