Date of Graduation

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

Department

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Committee Chair

Edward Etzel

Committee Co-Chair

Kristen Dieffenbach

Committee Member

Ryan Flett

Committee Member

Ed Jacobs

Committee Member

Jack Watson

Abstract

Understanding what characteristics college tennis coaches look for, and how they evaluate these skills may provide beneficial information related to the recruiting process at the collegiate level. Currently, limited research exists concerning how college tennis coaches evaluate a recruit's intangible characteristics and what specific characteristics they look for. Some authors have suggested that coaches highly value intangible characteristics, such as character and leadership ability, and that these skills are believed to be necessary for success at the collegiate level (Flett, Paule, & Schneider, 2010). However, little is known about the exact processes coaches use to evaluate intangible skills, nor which attributes are viewed as important. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to identify the characteristics that successful NCAA Division I men's tennis coaches look for and to determine how they evaluate these skills. Modified interpretive analysis was utilized to analyze the data (Hatch, 2002), from which two primary themes emerged: what characteristics coaches look for in recruits and how coaches assess a recruit's characteristics. These themes, along with relevant subthemes are discussed in depth and connections are made to existing literature.

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