In addition to a student’s own dissertation research, opportunities are provided for graduate students to engage with faculty on various projects, for experiences in data collection, writing empirical or practitioner-focused research papers or being part of program assessment and/or evaluation.
Students complete research in the following areas:
Adapted Physical Education/Activity
This area of focus addresses teaching and scholarship advancing the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in school-and community-based physical education/activity contexts. Our faculty and graduate students are members of a multi-institutional Adapted Physical Education Mentoring Consortium funded by a doctoral training grant from the U.S. Department of Education. As members, our doctoral scholars have opportunities to collaborate on high-quality research projects, multi-institutional seminars and summer training with APE faculty at nine leading institutions of higher education across the nation. Our faculty are engaged in several multidisciplinary research and service projects related to adapted physical education/activity, teacher education, health disparities, motor development and motor skill interventions.
Applied Sport Science
Our doctoral students studying applied sport sciences conduct research focused on long-term athlete monitoring and performance assessment. This research better informs coaches as to how their athletes are responding to the training and recovery cycle. As a doctoral student in this area, you will engage in a variety of hands-on learning opportunities with our many campus partners, including the Â鶹Porn Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Human Performance Innovation Center, an applied sport science laboratory. You will have access to the innovative technologies and professionals who are working on the cutting-edge of applied sport science.
Coaching Leadership
This area of focus addresses research on the foundational scientific and sport-specific knowledge structures that underlie effective coaching practice. Additional areas of study include the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills needed for organizational leadership in sport settings. As an emerging research concentration, coach development and education affords doctoral students multiple pathways to pursue a focused and impactful line of research. Our faculty engage in a wide range of international and national service opportunities in coach development that many doctoral students contribute to as well.
Physical Education Teacher Education
Physical education teacher education enjoys a long-standing tradition with doctoral students completing research studies in educational policy development, comprehensive school physical activity programming, curriculum and instruction, instructional technology use, teacher preparation and many other areas. Collectively, our research in this area targets the improvement of learners in K-12 settings with an overarching goal of facilitating the development of physically active lifestyles. Our faculty are engaged with several large-scale, multidisciplinary research projects involving healthy food and physical activity access in rural communities, state-wide surveillance of cardiovascular risk in school-aged children and policy and accountability systems in school physical education.
