Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations

Title

Mentorship in Athletic Training: A Two-Phased Study

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Paul Willis (Advisor)

Second Advisor

Michael Decker (Other)

Third Advisor

Amanda Jarriel (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Matthew Kutz (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Kristina LaVenia (Committee Member)

Sixth Advisor

Patrick Pauken (Committee Member)

Abstract

Context: Research within athletic training has placed an emphasis on the importance of mentorship for the profession. Mentorship is cited as a key to professional socialization, a guide to student decision making in regard to continued education and career ambitions, and a motivator for clinical preceptors (Nottingham, Barrett, Mazerolle, & Eason, 2016; Mazerolle, & Benes, 2014; Klossner, 2008). Objective: To investigate attributes of mentorship within athletic training implementing a two-phase approach. Design: A two-phase approach. Phase I a modified Delphi technique. Phase II a national survey to novice athletic trainers’. Participants: Phase I included 16 experts of athletic training. Phase II included 107 novice athletic trainers. Results: The results of this study identify 86 attributes expert athletic trainers believe to be important to serving as an athletic training mentor. Phase II of the study identified how frequently novice athletic trainers’ rate mentor attribute occurrence. Implications: This study presents an empirical list of mentor attributes important for athletic training mentors to practice. This study also identifies that the mentor attributes deemed important by exerts are rated to occur more frequently by the novice athletic trainer. This study supports the need for more intentional development of athletic training mentors and the mentoring relationships cultivated.

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