As a Division 1 soccer player at George Mason University, I have
had the opportunity to experience communication from coaches, teammates,
professors, and classmates. However,
what sparked my interest the most was the way in which collegiate college
coaches communicated to and with their athletes. My experience as a student-athlete has helped
me to develop my study to research the relationship of coach’s communication
characteristics and the effect on individual athlete performance.
My research officially began in the fall of 2014 when I was
accepted into the Honors Communication Research (Comm 490-491) class. Under the guidance of my professor and
mentor, Dr. Xiaomei Cai, I was able to effectively organize my thoughts and begin
my research. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be immersed in this
research experience and even more thankful that the Communication Department
offers this amazing experience to its students.
At this point in my study, I have been approved by Senior
Administration of Mason Athletics to research our NCAA Sport Student-Athletes. In the next few weeks, I will collect data
from 5-6 teams through a voluntary survey using Qualtrics online survey
software, and following Spring Break I will begin data analysis. Additionally, I will be presenting my
research in a poster presentation at the Eastern Communication Association
Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in April 2015.
Upon graduation in May, I hope to make my way into the field of Market
Research, which will require many of the skills and experience that I have
developed through my current study. My
passion for research has grown over the past few months, as I continue to
learn, question, and develop new skills and ideas for my study, and I’m excited
to see the final results!
