Sport Psychology / Sport Science: Fully Funded PhD Scholarship: Enhancing the development of facilitative psychological characteristics and behaviours in adolescent student-athletes
Funding providers: Swansea University and Millfield School
Subject areas: Sport Psychology / Sport Science
Project start date:
- 1 April 2022 (Enrolment open from mid-March)
Supervisors:
- Professor Camilla Knight
- Dr Denise Hill
- Dr Victoria Lovett
External advisors:
- Professor Chris Harwood (Loughborough University)
- Professor Kris Henriksen (University of Southern Denmark)
Aligned programme of study: PhD in Sport and Exercise Science
Mode of study: Full-time
Project description:
The overarching aim of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate a psychological skills programme for student-athletes, with the aim of creating facilitative psychosocial characteristics and behaviours. This project will utilise an action research methodology to first identify the specific psychological needs of the student-athletes at Millfield School and subsequently implement a series of interventions to address these needs. The initial identification of need will occur through a series of interviews and focus groups with students, teachers, and coaches and supported with observational data obtained on the student-athletes. Subsequently, a psychological skills programme (the intervention) will be developed and implemented before being evaluated through a series of qualitative, quantitative, and reflective methods. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, a revised programme (intervention two) will be developed and implemented. This programme will again be evaluated using a number of different methods to identify what impact the programme had, who it impacted on, and how it worked. Based on this data, recommendations for future psychological skills programmes for adolescent student-athletes will be produced.
Established in 1920, Swansea University is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the suburban setting of the large town of Swansea (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Wales. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Privy Council, Swansea University is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Swansea University offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as pre-bachelor degrees (i.e. certificates, diplomas, associate or foundation degrees), bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 99 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.