Educational backgrounds and teaching styles of athletic training educators in entry-level CAAHEP accredited athletic training programs

• Main Author: Rich, Valerie J
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholar Commons 2006
• Subjects: Pedagogical strategies; Medical education; Instructional methods; Learning styles; Content expert; Education; American Studies; Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/2673; http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3672&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to describe the educational backgrounds and teaching styles of athletic training educators and to see if a relationship existed between educational backgrounds and teaching styles. An electronic survey was e-mailed to 338 Program Directors of CAAHEP accredited undergraduate and graduate athletic training education programs. The survey was also posted on the athletic training educator's listserv to recruit more participants. The survey contained questions regarding demographics and educational history, as well as the Teaching Styles Inventory (Grasha, 2002). A total of 198 athletic training educators responded to the survey, and 174 filled out the survey in its entirety.An overwhelming majority of the participants were White (98%) and about 50% were male or female. Over half of the participants were program directors (59%) and 38% were at the assistant professor rank. Thirty-one percent were currently employed at a liberal arts instituti on. Most were employed in a College of Education (36%), working in a department of health, physical education, and recreation (25%). These athletic training educators had diverse educational backgrounds. A Bachelor of Science degree had been awarded to 78% of the respondents, and 33% of the Bachelor's degrees were in physical education. Forty-five percent did not have a minor degree. At the master's level, most of the degrees that had been awarded were Master's of Science (63%) and 23% were in athletic training/sports medicine. Most of the participants did not hold a post-graduate level degree (37%). Of those with a post-graduate degree, 27% held a Doctorate of Philosophy. Nine percent were in curriculum and instruction. On average, athletic training educators had been teaching for 8 years, had completed 8 courses in pedagogy, and had attended 8 workshops that were based on improving pedagogical practices. The predominant teaching style among athletic training educators was per sonal model (50%). Surprisingly, none of the participants had a delegator teaching style as their predominant style. The results of the MANOVA suggested that a significant relationship did not exist between educational backgrounds and teaching styles among these athletic training educators.