Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: a Qualitative Case Study Approach
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2004 Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach David Keith Fitzhugh University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Fitzhugh, David Keith, "Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2004. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4549 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by David Keith Fitzhugh entitled "Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Wendell Liemohn, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Leslee A. Fisher, Craig A. Wrisberg, Mark Hector Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertationwritten by David Keith Fitzhugh entitled "Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach." I have examined the finalpaper copy of this dissertation for formand content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degreeof Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Wendell Liemohn, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: �O.� •�.u, Graduate Studies Pygmalion in the Athletic Training Room: A Qualitative Case Study Approach A Dissertation Presented forthe Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville David Keith Fitzhugh May2004 11 ,he;s;s 2ootLh .psi Copyright© 2004 by David Keith Fitzhugh All rightsreserved iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my wife,daughter, and grandparents. I absolutely could not have accomplished this milestone with the help of my wife and daughter. You two are the love ofmy life. I would not be the person I am ifl didn't have both of you in my life. Thanks so much forbelieving in me. Grandma Fitzhugh thanks forall your support especially in my undergraduate days. If you hadn't helped me out back then, I would have never arrivedhere. Finally, I would like to dedicate this to the memory of my Grandma and Grandpa Kucera. Althoughthey never understood what exactly I was studying, they were always so proud of me. I will never forgetthat. lV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people who have helped me on my journey towards completion of this dissertation and degree. There is not room enough to thankthem all. However, some select individuals definitelydeserve recognition for all the assistance and support ·they have given me during this process. First, I would like to thankDr. Leslee Fisher forserving as my co-chair and providing me with the direction and knowledge I needed to fulfillmy research goals. Thank you so much. I would also like to thank Dr. Wendell Liemohn who was kind enoughto allow me to explore other avenues outside ofbiomechanics and sports medicine. As my major advisor, you were very unselfish and allowed me to explore otheravenues of research. For this I am grateful. I would be remiss ifI did not send out a special thanks to Dr. Craig Wrisberg and Dr. Mark Hector forserving as committee members. I appreciate both ofyou for agreeingto be on my committee and giving me your feedback during the completion process of this dissertation. Thankyou so much. Special thanksneeds to go out to my research team. You took time to help me out even when you all were so busy yourselves. You also kept me groundedand finally made me see the light. Thank you so much Susan, Karen, and Ash. In addition, I would like to give a special thanksto Susan. You stimulated my thinking regarding social issues and really helped me become a better person. I definitelygot more out ofthose workouts in the bubble than just a healthier heart. I also need to thankthose people where I work fortheir support and help during this process. There are too many people to mention specifically, but I do want to thank V Jess, Angie, and my softballand wrestling teams. You all gave me so much support and were understanding during this process. A special thankyou goes to Jess whom was always there to talk to and bounce thingsoff of when I needed it. Vl ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore andattempt to understandhow Pygmalionworks in the rehabilitation environment and how it may influencethe rehabilitation adherence of injured athletes. A qualitative case study approach was used to explore athletic trainers' and athletes' experiences with expectancies andtheir subsequentinfluences at one NAIA College. Five athletic trainersand 10 injuredathletes participated in this study. Each athletic trainer ranked his/herinjured athletes fromhigh to low ability forrehabilitation. A high and low ability injured athlete was interviewed foreach athletic trainer. Results of this study revealed potential Pygmalion effectsthat may have influencedrehabilitation adherence. In these cases, high ability-rankedathletes seemed to perceive a warmer rehabilitation environment and the willingnessof the athletic trainer to serve as part of their social support network resulting in better rehabilitation compliance and adherence as compared to low ability-rankedathletes. However, in some cases, Pygmalioneffects appeared to be present but athletes did not seem to be influencedby them, consistent with previous literaturepositing that athletes are not all Pygmalion-prone. Additionally, some athletic trainers appeared to have unrealistic expectations of their injuredathletes, resulting in a misperception of the athletes' abilities and laying the foundationfor Pygmalion effects. vu TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM............ ................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 Scenario# 1............... ............................................................1 Scenario#2 ................................................ ........................... 2 Scenario Discussion ................................................................ 2 Brief Overview ............................................................................... 4 Statement of the Problem................................................................... 6 Purposeof the Study........................................................................ 6 Significanceof the Research............................................................... 7 Hypotheses .................................................................................... 8 Limitations.............................................................................. ...... 8 Delimitations .................................................................................. 9 Definitions....................................................... ............................. 9 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE............................ .............................. 12 Introduction.......................................................... ....................... 12 TheSelf-Fulfilling Prophecy .............................................................. 12 Brief Historical Overview ........................................................ 12 Origin of Pyg:rn.alion............... ............................................... 14 The Pyg:rn.alion Cycle............................................................. 16 The Pyg:rn.alionExperiment. ..................................................... 20 Pyg:rn.alionin the Gyni...................................................... ...... 22 Pyg:rn.alion in Athletics ............................................................ 25 Rehabilitation Adherence ................................................................. .3 3 Expectancy in the Rehabilitation Environment ........................................ 37 Conclusion .................................................................................. 40 III. METHODOLOGY................................................................ ........ 42 Introduction............................................................................ ...... 42 Methods andProcedures ............................... ................................... 43 Bracketing Interview.............................. ................................ 43 Procedures .......................................................................... 44 AnalyticalProcedures ............................................................. 53 IV. RE SULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................ 58 Introduction .................................................................................. 58 Case Records ...............................................................................