Completed projects

The Campus Athletics Research Network (CARN) has completed the following projects:

Alumni giving and varsity athletics

This project aims to determine the various factors that influence an individual’s decision to give, as in a monetary donation, to the Varsity Athletics at the University of Waterloo. Specifically, Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour will be used to understand this type of giving behaviour. The hope is that this study will provide insight into alumni giving behaviour and allow for more effective communication and marketing efforts.

Collaborators:

Kelly Harris, Undergraduate Student, Recreation and Leisure Studies

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Association of moral disengagement, passion, emotion, competitive anger and aggression with attitudes of using performance enhancing drugs in competitive sport

This PhD dissertation project is looking at aspects of moral disengagement in sport and how they might influence athletes’ attitudes towards using performance enhancing drugs in sport. Other factors of competitive anger and aggression, passion and selected emotions will also be investigated as factors that may associate with moral disengagement in sport and impact attitudes towards performance enhancing drugs. Participants in this study will include male and female varsity athletes that play ice-hockey, basketball, and volleyball from four universities in Southern Ontario. Additionally, participants will also be male and female Intramural athletes participating in the same sports. 

Collaborator(s):

Wade Wilson, PhD Candidate, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Results

Associations of moral disengagement, passion, and competitive anger and aggressiveness with attitudes toward performance enhancing drugs in sport

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Campus recreation participation, alumni giving, and academic performance

Using secondary data analyses of University of Waterloo students, this project aims to explore the extent to which participation in intramural activities translates into future alumni giving behavior (i.e. monetary donations) and heightened academic performance.  The results of this project may signal the importance of promotion and continued development of Campus Recreation within the University's strategic development priorities.

Collaborat​or(s):

Wade Wilson, PhD Candidate, Recreation and Leisure Studies

David Drewery, MA Candidate, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Jason Coolman, Alumni Affairs

Cynthia Breen, Alumni Affairs

Mark Walker, Registrar’s Office

Joanne Voisin, Registrar’s Office

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Coaching leadership

The purpose of this research is to determine what behaviours a “successful” varsity coach at the University of Waterloo exhibit in comparison to an “unsuccessful” coach. Specifically, the objective of this study is to determine what blend of coaching leadership behaviours relates to overall team success. By using an online questionnaire, it is hypothesized that successful team coaches (i.e. largest win records) will operate in team environments where there is greater congruence between preferred and perceived leadership styles. 

Collaborator(s):

Lee VanSchaik, MA Candidate, Western University

Dr. Katie Misener, Assistant Professor, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Christine Stapleton, Athletics and Recreation

Dr. Jim Weese, Professor, Western University

Results

Coaching leadership summary of results (accessible view)

Coaching leadership summary of results (PDF)

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Ego involvement and passion for sport activities

People are often described as being “passionate” about a particular activity. However, relatively little is known about how certain activities can become obsessive and controlling versus more balanced aspects of people’s lives. This study proposes that the nature of people’s involvement with a particular activity can influence the extent to which that activity becomes a controllable or uncontrollable force in daily life. As such, this research explores relationships between ego involvement and passion towards competitive sport activities.

Collaborator

A. Wade Wilson, University of Waterloo

Results

Ego involvement and passion for sport activities summary of results

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Ego involvement and running

This research explored the influence of ego involvement with running on varsity athletes' post-collegiate running loyalty and health. Using a retrospective approach with multiple temporally-based data points, enduring ego involvement with running was studied among a sample of one-time competitive distance runners. In particular, the purpose was to explore, while controlling for during-college ego involvement scores, the influence of current ego involvement scores with running on former varsity athletes' eight post-collegiate (i.e. current) running loyalties and self-reported health. Current manifestations of running loyalty examined include four metrics related to running intensity (i.e., days run per week, distance of average run, average pace, number of competitions per year), four related to running preferences (i.e., favourite routes, gear, competitions and partners), and one metric of perceived health.

Collaborator(s):

Dr. Luke R. Potwarka, University of Waterloo

Dr. Mark E. Havitz, University of Waterloo

A. Wade Wilson, University of Waterloo

Dr. Steven E. Mock, University of Waterloo

Results

Ego involvement and running summary of results

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Lifelong longitudinal runni​ng ​project

This research examines issues related to running and physical activity over people’s life spans. We believe that impacts of sport participation don’t cease immediately upon graduation. In order to track life-long impact of sport participation on fitness and well-being, we’re surveying former varsity cross country athletes from several universities, including UW.

Data will be used to test models related to how people maintain physical activity regimens (or not) over their adult lives. Research questions include: What factors contribute to people’s personal involvement with running? How are physical activity, program, equipment, service provider and event loyalties developed over time and do ego involvement and psychological commitment influence this developmental process? Do social worlds moderate relationships between leisure involvement and loyalty in these contexts? What roles do running and physical activities play, if any, in athletes’ post-university lives? To what extent are involvement and commitment with running gendered? What social psychological and health-related benefits and negative impacts are associated with running and physical activity over a lifetime?

The first paper generated from this project (in review) suggests that former varsity cross country athletes participate in running at rates over six times that of the general Canadian population. Their manifest loyalty takes many forms ranging from favourite courses to favourite running partners and competitions. Most respondents who ranged in age from mid-20s to mid-80s continue to self-identify as runners. Although identity manifestations were consistently high throughout the sample, Canadian respondents seem somewhat more likely to identify with the activity (running) and American respondents more likely to identify with their university.

Collaborators:

Mark E. Havitz, Professor and Chair, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Julia Manzo, Undergraduate Student, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Wade Wilson, PhD Candidate, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Wing Ka Tsang, Undergraduate Student, Recreation and Leisure Studies

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Move your mind

This program aims to increase students’ quality of life by promoting and creating wellness opportunities for everyone on campus. This new initiative by the Department of Athletics and Recreation intends to create a diagnostic tool to connect students that have been “prescribed” recreation by their physician with the programs and services that meet their unique interests and needs. Campus Athletics Research Network (CARN) has taken on a principle role in the development of this diagnostic tool, assisting with survey design, pilot testing, and implementation of the instrument. Eventually, this diagnostic tool will be accessible to all students as an online survey that will make program recommendations based on the user’s personality type and current interests.

Collaborator(s):

Kelly Harris, Undergraduate Student, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Krystal Kowalski, Athletics and Recreation

Donna Rheams, Athletics and Recreation

Mark Beadle, Health Services

Results

Move your mind, Athletics and Recreation with Campus Wellness

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Sports passion and attitudes toward performance enhancing substances

The purpose of the present study was two-fold. First we were interested in seeing whether obsessive and harmonious passion would predict attitudes of performance enhancing drug (PED) use in collegiate sport environments. Secondly, we were interested in the extent to which passion and attitudes of PED use would differ between two sporting environments.

Collaborators

A. Wade Wilson, University of Waterloo

Dr. Luke R. Potwarka, University of Waterloo

Results

Sports passion and attitudes toward performance enhancing substances summary of results

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