Case Closed: An Earnest Review of Ganon\u27s Case Study as Research Method

Gagnon\u27s (2011) text is the most recent contribution to the growing corpus of knowledge on case study research. As a whole, the text contains all of the typical parts one would expect in an introductory text on case study research. The text begins with a brief discussion of paradigms and epistemologies and then gives way to issues of reliability and validity. Next, the reader is taken through a step-by-step approach to case study research with chapters on data collection, analysis, interpretation and writing reports. Drawing upon his own experiences using case study method, Gagnon identifies enduring concerns and provides several practical tips for the novice researcher. However, the text could be improved by a clear definition of case study and a lucid explanation of the relationship between methodologies and method

A Reflexive Pragmatist Reading of Alvesson\u27s Interpreting Interviews

Remember those interviews you collected for that qualitative research study? How did you address issues of interviewee power, impression management and rationality? Was it trustworthy ? Really? In Interpreting Interviews, Mats Alvesson summarizes the current state of thought on interviews as a tool for qualitative data collection and challenges this framework as simplistic and failing to account for its complexities as a social act. Alvesson argues for a critical consciousness and pragmatic approach to interviews. This review blurs genres from autoethnography and more traditional approaches while taking Alvesson\u27s approach, reflexive pragmatism, to its logical consequences. As a whole, Interpreting Interviews is timely, intellectually stimulating, and the latest (un)fortunate wrench in the qualitative research machine

From “Bitch” to “Mentor”: A Doctoral Student’s Story of Self-Change and Mentoring

For several reasons, the process of writing and completing the doctoral dissertation has been identified as the most frequent road block for many promising scholars. The goal of this study is to help improve doctoral student dissertation completion by focusing on the crucial, central concerns of effective student writing, faculty mentoring, and the student-advisor relationship. Using an experimental, evocative autoethnographic approach, the following study shows the struggles and successes of a doctoral student managing himself, the university, “life”, and most importantly, his doctoral dissertation chair. The findings weave together strategies from storytelling (e.g., plot, characters, and scene) with the personal experiences of a doctoral student and advisor to show a highly contextual narrative and the influence of multiple factors. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the value of situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) as an approach to help students learn to write. Lastly, as a pedagogical tool, the narrative itself may be of practical value to graduate students, dissertation chairs, and policymakers for the purpose of improving graduate student success

Comments on CrossTalk 43: Exercise training intensity is/is not more important than volume to promote increases in human skeletal muscle mitochondrial content

First paragraph: The debate between MacInnis et al. (2019) and Bishop et al. (2019) offers insight into the mechanistic basis of mitochondrial changes through exercise. However, the supporting evidence comes from highly controlled settings and is therefore limited as an ecologically valid base for exercise prescription in athletic and clinical settings. While laboratory research or experimental designs with tightly controlled and somewhat arbitrary variables can help understand the mechanistic basis of physiological adaptations, real-world experiences are inherently more holistic and unpredictable. The ARMSS model of Bishop (2008) is edifying in this regard; effectiveness trials of interventions are required to support validity in naturalistic settings. Mitochondrial content adaptations occur in complex biopsychosocial systems in which they are exposed to multiple stimuli over time. The magnitude of change to the mitochondria will occur not simply as a function of volume and intensity, but is influenced by individual genetics, previous training, and numerous psychobiological interactions. The present debate is structured in a way that suggests the authors believe an absolute truth is knowable. However, their qualifications demonstrate they know that adaptation involves complex interactions at a multi-systems level and that knowledge shifts through a process of osmosis rather than presentation of absolute truths. To more fully appreciate the complexities of mitochondrial adaptation and its relation to exercise prescription, and human physiology and performance in general, we argue this debate would be enhanced within a broader discussion on ecological contexts. Further debate is warranted on the epistemological and ontological differences of so-called basic and applied sciences.This comment can be found as comments in the Supporting Information of Bishop, D.J., Botella, J. and Granata, C. (2019), Rebuttal from David J. Bishop, Javier Botella and Cesare Granata. J Physiol, 597: 4121-4122. at https://doi.org/10.1113/JP27832

Student-Athletes’ Experiences with Racial Microaggressions in Sport: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Despite growing research on racial microaggressions as a subtle but prevalent form of racial discrimination, research on microaggressions in sport and their effects on the psychosocial wellbeing of athletes is scarce. Moreover, some researchers question the legitimacy of microaggressions due to their subtle nature and inconsistency in how they are experienced (Lilienfeld, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. collegiate student-athletes-of-color experiences with racial microaggressions in sport through a new theoretical lens, Foucauldian poststructuralist theory. We theorized microaggressions as an example of the daily panoptic gaze that leads to self-surveillance and the production of normalized individuals (Foucault, 1995). Eight student-athletes-of-color participated in two interviews: a two-person focus group interview followed by an individual interview. The interviews were analyzed deductively using Sue’s (2010) microaggression typology followed by a Foucauldian discourse analysis (Willig, 2013). The results illustrated how student-athletes-of-color experiences and subjectivities were racialized. Within sport, the sport as transcending race discourse was widely circulated and legitimized through various sporting practices, which limited athletes’ ability to perceive and acknowledge race and microaggressions. This study sheds light on how racial microaggressions manifest in the lives of student-athletes and how the discourses and practices we take for granted constitute racial subjectivities

Poor Teaching by the Coach: A Phenomenological Description From Athletes\u27 Experience of Poor Coaching

Background: Winning and losing have consistently been used as one criterion upon which to evaluate coaches. Since winning coaches have long been thought of as knowledgeable and effective at providing instruction, researchers have often studied coaches who have obtained a high winning percentage. While researchers know some about the behaviors and thought processes of winning and losing coaches, this research has often failed to account for how the coach\u27s behavior affects athletes. That is, how do athletes perceive their coach and their coach\u27s instruction? The sole criterion of winning may not sufficiently differentiate which behaviors are instructionally effective versus those that are ineffective, especially from the athlete\u27s perspective. Furthermore, existing research tends to focus solely on winning coaches and coaches in general. In order to better understand coaching effectiveness from the perspective of athletes, research has examined the coaching behaviors athletes prefer and their satisfaction with the coach. While this research consistently suggests athletes prefer coaches to exhibit behaviors related to training and instruction, it is unknown as to when and how coaches should provide instruction, as well as how athletes perceive this instruction. Purpose: In order to further understanding of effective coaching from the athlete\u27s perspective, a study was conducted to determine athletes\u27 lived experiences of poor coaching. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings related to athletes\u27 experiences of poor teaching by the coach. Method: Participants in this study were limited to a convenience sample of 16 current or former athletes who played team sports (e.g. baseball, basketball, football, softball, soccer) at the collegiate, professional, or semi-professional level. Existential phenomenology was the research design chosen for the conduct of the study because it allowed athletes to describe, in detail, what it meant for them to have been poorly coached. Findings: Athletes identified a total of 33 poor coaches, but some of the athletes described the same coach; therefore, only 26 different coaches were actually identified. Of the 26 poor coaches, 17 were head coaches, nine were assistant coaches, and these coaches were employed at a variety of competitive levels (e.g. youth to professional). Athletes reported that poor coaches were poor at teaching by not providing useful instruction, not individualizing their teaching to fit the unique needs of each athlete, and being unknowledgeable about the skills and qualities to teach effectively. Conclusions: The theme of the poor teaching by the coach represented the multiple ways athletes\u27 perceived the coach to be poor at providing useful instruction, individualizing that instruction, managing game tactics, and being unknowledgeable about the skills and qualities to teach effectively. This failure to teach was directly associated with what the athletes talked about and described as not learning from their coaches. In general, the findings of this study were consistent with the findings of research on winning and expert coaches, albeit diametrically opposite. Athletes in this study perceived that they failed to receive instruction in many cases, and what they received was unhelpful, insubstantial, and was detrimental to successful athletic performance