Sport Psychology Journals Research Articles

A bibliometric review of coach leadership studies.

This study examined published articles concerning sports leadership within the sport psychology domain over the last 30 years using bibliometric analysis that centered on the written content of the publications as unit of analysis in order to explore the intellectual base, particularly the structural relationships among relevant research components about coach leadership. Leximancer version 5.0 (Leximancer Pty Ltd.) was used to extract data from 100 sports leadership-related articles from four sport psychology journals. Overall, the most relevant concepts generated were coaches (100%) and athletes (59%), followed by study, sport, support, and motivation, and behaviors. Also, relevant concepts produced for each journal were quite similar which included coaches, athletes, behaviors, study, support and team. Further, publications related to coach leadership have shown a steady growth rate since 1990 with 76% of all published articles were conducted via quantitative research method. Finally, United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Belgium were the top countries involved in the area of coach leadership. Coach leadership studies generally focus on behaviors and perceptions related to the coach and relationships between leadership and psychological outcomes. Each journal has a similar but distinct rationale when publishing papers about coach leadership. Bibliometric analysis can be applied as an alternative methodology to summarize large volumes of relevant data in order to map the current knowledge as well as identify potential future research directions.

Grounded theory

ABSTRACT The purposes of this paper were to (a) describe and assess the use of grounded theory methodology (GTM) in sport psychology over the past 11 years and (b) provide some guidance for best practices moving forward. Following a brief summary of the history of GTM, we present the results of a rapid review of seven sport psychology journals from 2009 to 2021. A total of 35 articles that made claims regarding the use of GTM as a methodology were retained. The retained articles were assessed using 11 criteria. Overall, the methodological completeness of GTM studies in sport psychology appears to have improved over the past decade. Twenty-two of the 35 articles met all, or all but one, of the criteria. Thirteen articles did not meet two or more of the criteria. In terms of areas for improvement, the least widely reported procedures were theoretical sampling (reported in 22 of 35 studies), theoretical saturation (22 of 35 studies), and assessment of theory (22 of 35 studies). Furthermore, the sophisticated positioning of theoretical sensitivity was sometimes lacking in the articles. We discuss ways in which researchers can increase the conceptual and theoretical sophistication of methodologically sound GTM studies.

The effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport using single-case designs: A meta regression analysis of the peer-reviewed studies

We used a novel meta regression analysis approach to examine the effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport assessed using single-case experimental designs (SCEDs). One hundred and twenty-one papers met the inclusion criteria applied to eight database searches and key sport psychology journals. Seventy-one studies reported sufficient detail for effect sizes to be calculated for the effects of psychological skills training on psychological, behavioral, and performance variables. The unconditional mean effect size for weighted (Δ = 2.40) and unweighted (Δ = 2.83) models suggested large improvements in psychological, behavioral, and performance outcomes associated with implementing cognitive-behavioral psychological skills training and behavioral interventions with a SCED. However, meta-regression analysis revealed important heterogeneities and sources of bias within this literature. First, studies using a group-based approach reported lower effect sizes compared to studies using single-case approaches. Second, the single-case studies, (over 90 per cent the effect sizes), revealed upwardly biased effect sizes arising from: (i) positive publication bias such that studies using lower numbers of baseline observations reported larger effects, while studies using larger numbers of baseline observations reported smaller – but still substantial – effects; (ii) not adopting a multiple baseline design; and (iii) not establishing procedural reliability. We recommend that future researchers using SCED’s should consider these methodological issues.

Evaluation of the effects of psychological prevention interventions on sport injuries: A meta-analysis

Summary Objectives The purpose was to conduct a systematic review of published articles aiming to prevent sports injuries based on psychological interventions and to perform a meta-analysis of the effects in such interventions. News Different kinds of sport injury prevention strategies have been accomplished such as neuromuscular and warm-up programs. More recently, psychological intervention studies have been completed with the purpose of preventing sports injuries. The most evident predictor is stress. Consequently, most psychological injury prevention interventions incorporate stress management and other psychological skills training. Prospect and projects The electronic databases and suitable sport psychology journals were searched for published studies. Out of 560 screened articles, 15 were potentially eligible articles. Seven of these articles, with substantial information in the papers or the authors were able to provide us with data after request, were finally included. Conclusion The result, using a random effect model, showed a total Hedges’ g effect size of 0.82 (P

Qualitative Research in Sport Psychology Journals: The Next Decade 2000-2009 and Beyond

A follow-up of the 1990s review of qualitative research articles published in three North American sport psychology journals (Culver, Gilbert, & Trudel, 2003) was conducted for the years 2000–2009. Of the 1,324 articles published, 631 were data-based and 183 of these used qualitative data collection techniques; an increase from 17.3% for the 1990s to 29.0% for this last decade. Of these, 31.1% employed mixed methods compared with 38.1% in the 1990s. Interviews were used in 143 of the 183 qualitative studies and reliability test reporting increased from 45.2% to 82.2%. Authors using exclusively quotations to present their results doubled from 17.9% to 39.9%. Only 13.7% of the authors took an epistemological stance, while 26.2% stated their methodological approach. We conclude that positivist/postpositivist approaches appear to maintain a predominant position in sport psychology research. Awareness of the importance of being clear about epistemology and methodology should be a goal for all researchers.

Experimental Studies of Psychological Interventions With Athletes in Competitions

During the past three decades, behavioral practitioners have been applying techniques to improve the performance of athletes. To what extent are interventions, designed to improve the directly and reliably measured performance of athletes in competitions, based on experimental demonstrations of efficacy? That is the question addressed by this review. All issues of three behavioral journals and seven sport psychology journals, from 1972 through 2002, were examined for articles that addressed the above question. Fifteen articles were found that met the inclusion criteria, yielding an average of only one published study every 2 years. This article reviews those articles, discusses reasons for the dearth of research in this area, and makes recommendations for much needed future research.

Studies using single-subject designs in sport psychology: 30 years of research

A prominent feature of behavior-analytic research has been the use of single-subject designs. We examined sport psychology journals and behavioral journals published during the past 30 years, and located 40 studies using single-subject designs to assess interventions for enhancing the performance of athletes and coaches. In this paper, we summarize that body of research, discuss its strengths and limitations, and identify areas for future research.

Publishing Productivity in Sport Psychology 1970–2000: An Exploratory Examination of the Lotka-Price Law

The current study examined whether the distribution of published research papers in the field of sport psychology followed the Lotka-Price Law of scientific productivity. All authors who had published articles in five sport psychology journals from 1970 to 2000 were considered. The impact of those authors was determined by the total number of published papers in all journals. Results provided limited support for the Lotka-Price Law; however, it appeared that the field of sport psychology was less elitist than other fields. Although these findings suggest that productivity in this field is similar to that in other fields of science, more research is needed to shed light on the role of the eminent scientist and the average researcher in the advancement of knowledge in sport psychology.

A Decade of Qualitative Research in Sport Psychology Journals: 1990-1999

Part of the on-going dialogue on qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology, this review portrays the qualitative articles published in three sport psychology journals and examines how qualitative research can deepen our knowledge in applied sport psychology. Eighty-four of the 485 research articles published in these journals used a qualitative data collection technique. The interview was used in 67 studies. Peer review and reliability tests were often used for establishing trustworthiness. Member checking was mostly limited to participant verification of interview transcripts. Results were usually presented using both words and numbers. Selected studies are discussed in relation to applied sport psychology knowledge. Published qualitative articles suggest a conservative effort by sport psychology researchers to include the qualitative approach as a legitimate way to do research.

Applied research studies with single-subject designs: Why so few?

Abstract In spite of several calls for increased use of single-subject designs for evaluating applied sport psychology interventions, studies using them rarely appear in our major sport psychology journals. On the assumption that some basic misunderstandings concerning these designs may have contributed to their lack of use, the present paper: (a) describes fundamental characteristics of all single-subject designs, (b) attempts to clarify potential misunderstandings concerning these designs, and (c) describes the alternating-treatments design—a strategy for comparing two or more treatments on an ongoing basis within individual athletes.

Sport psychology in Australia: A profession established

The Board of Sport Psychologists was established in the Australian Psychological Society in 1991 with the aim to promote sport psychology as a profession in Australia. It has attempted to achieve this in a number of ways. The Board has supported a four (undergraduate) plus two (specialist coursework masters) plus two (specialist supervised practice) training model, and produced guidelines for course approvals of specialist masters courses. Four course-work masters programs now have students. Career opportunities represent an important issue for board promotion, with only seven sport psychologists currently employed in the sports institutes and few in private practice, although positions in the tertiary sector have increased from 9 to 20 in the last two years. Research in this area appears well established, with more than 50 Australian-based contributions to articles in the four major sport psychology journals since 1987. Rapid increases in research student numbers in the 1990s are likely to build on this publication base. From 1990 to 1994, masters and doctoral students increased from 17 to 66 in the five universities with well-established research programs in sport psychology. The Board has produced an ethics document, and this combined with specialist training will assist in the promotion of appropriate standards of practice in sport psychology. It is proposed that the establishment of the Board has played a major role in enhancing the professional and academic status of sport psychology. There is further potential for development of the discipline and the profession in Australia through the activities of the Board of Sport Psychologists.