research project

Unit 5 Research Project

Worthing College Sports ScienceBrooke Marshall

2015

Assessment Criteria Pages 3-17 & 27-38

• P2: carry out sport science or exercise science-based research

• P3: collect and record data from the research project conducted

• M2: correctly analyse collected data, describing techniques used

• D1: correctly analyse data, explaining techniques used

• P4: produce a full research report using a standard scientific structure

P2: Carry out / P4: Produce

To investigate whether there is a relationship between

optimum levels of vigour and 16-25 year old female

footballers passing success rate at participation level.

AbstractThe aim of this investigation was to assess the effect of level of vigour on passing success rate of female footballers aged 16-25. This will show whether a technical skill can be influenced by psychological thought processes. A sample of 10 participation level female footballers completed a Profile of Moods State (POMS) Questionnaire in 10 minutes just before their game after being read a set of standardized instructions. An observation was then carried out in order to create a tally chart which includes the number of total passes and number of unsuccessful passes in order to work out each athletes overall passing success rate. Results, as hypothesized, showed that the higher the level of vigour the higher the athletes passing success rate. There was a significant relationship between passing success rate and level of vigour with these participants as the scatter-graph showed a strong positive correlation between these two factors. These results indicate that level of vigour and therefore an athlete’s mood state can influence their ability to effectively perform a technical skill required in their game. Therefore the implications for further research are that women's football is a priority area for research and level of vigour should be tested on further technical skills.


Contents: GeneralPage 3 – Aim Page 4 – Abstract – Contents - generalPage 6 – Contents - appendicesPage 7 – Contents – figures and tables Page 8 – Acknowledgements Page 9 – Introduction Page 10 – Literature review and references Page 11 – Hypothesis Page 12 – Method Page 13 – Data collectionPage 14 – Data analysisPage 15 – Results Page 16 – Discussion Page 17 – Conclusion Page 18 – Assessment criteriaPage 19 – Review 1/5 Page 20 – Review 2/5Page 21 – Review 3/5Page 22 – Future Recommendations 1/5Page 23 – Future Recommendations 2/5Page 24 - Future Recommendations 3/5Page 25 - Future Recommendations 4/5Page 26 - Future Recommendations 5/5


Contents: Appendices

Page 27 – Appendices introductionPage 28 – Appendix 1 – standardised instructions Page 29 – Appendix 2 – Profile of Mood States (POMS) testPage 30 – Appendix 3 – tally chart


Contents: Figures and Tables

Page 31 – Figures and tables introductionPage 32 – Figures & tables 1 – passing success rate tally chartPage 33 – Figures & tables 2 – level of vigour resultsPage 34 – Figures & tables 3 – graph 1Page 35 – Figures & tables 4 – graph 2


Acknowledgements

I would firstly like to thank my participants, without their level of commitment I wouldn’t have been able to obtain the results I did. I would also like to thank Georgia Short for assisting me with my data collection.


IntroductionMy aim is to investigate whether there is a relationship between optimum levels of vigour and 16-25 year old female footballers passing success rate at participation level.I chose this aim because I want to become a Sports Psychologist and any insight into this area will strengthen my knowledge and aid me in the future. I also chose to study this aim as I am a footballer and am intrigued to see whether a technical skill can be influenced by psychological thought processes. This project lasted from the 23rd Jan – 27th March. By the 1st Feb I collected each participants level of vigour. I completed the literature review by the 27th Feb. By the 8th March I had also collected their passing success rates. After this I would’ve completed the testing phase. This left me the rest of my time to complete my data analysis phase and the write up.


Literature Review and References

My literature review can be found here


https://worthingsportscience.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/unit-5-literature-review-brooke-marshall/

Project Hypothesis

1) At the end of my research project I expect to see a positive relationship between the level of vigour and passing success rate of each participant.

2) At the end of my research project I expect to see a positive relationship between the level of vigour and the total number of passes.


MethodI used opportunity sampling to find my 10 participants for my research; these participants all take part in participation level footballer, are female and between 16-25. Firstly I read out a set of standardized instructions (See Appendix 1) to the participants and provided them with a glossary of some of the moods to ensure they all understood. I then gave out the POMS questionnaire (See Appendix 2) found on the Brian Mac website which contains normative data. I allowed them 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire before the game so they all had the same amount of time; I then collected the questionnaires off them; this provided me with quantitative data. This will be completed by the 1st Feb. Either myself of Georgia then carried out non-participant observation on the game, using a tally chart (See Appendix 3) to see the number of passes and the number of those which are unsuccessful in order to create a percentage, I will also video the games to ensure my accuracy. This will be completed by the 8th March. I then carried out data analysis on my results and completed my write up by the 27th March.My research is field-based research as I am observing the participants in their natural sporting environment. As I am conducting field-based research which gives me primary data. My research design is experimental.

P3: Collect and record / M2: Correctly analyse & describe techniques / D1: Correctly analyse & explain techniques

Data CollectionThe data I’m collecting is nominal and ordinal. It is nominal as it’s categorised through level of vigour. Within these categories I can rank my data by passing success rate therefore making it ordinal. To collect the level of vigour of each participant, they will be completing a POMS questionnaire that was previously printed for them from the Brian Mac website. I used this questionnaire as its from a reliable sports website and contains a normative data table which I can use to compare my participants to.The collection of participants passing was field-based; either myself or Georgia carried out non-participant observation of the game; this involved filling out a tally chart throughout the game. I also videoed the game so I could go back and verify my findings which improved the accuracy of my data collection method. Both of these method of collection will give me quantitative data that I can analyse further later on.


Data AnalysisFirstly I looked at the tally charts and created a passing success rate as a percentage for each participant based on their number of passes and number of successful passes (See Figures and Tables 1). Using passing success rate as a percentage of overall passes allows me to easily compare each participant to one and other.I then compared each participants level of vigour (See Figures and Tables 2) to the average level of vigour for an athlete of their age and gender to see if they were above or below the average. The average level was found on the Brian Mac website. I also compared each participants passing success rate to their level of vigour by creating a scatter gram which includes a line of best fit (See Figures and Tables 3). I will also create a second scatter gram with a line of best fit to show the relationship between level of vigour and number of passes (See Figures and Tables 4). I will use ICT based techniques to analyse the data as I will be creating the scatter gram on Edexcel. Doing this allows me to see if their was a trend or relationship between these two factors to see if my hypotheses are correct. My data is simple frequency distribution as it is an amount in each category. Creating this graph also allows me to identify any outliers within my group which may affect my results.


ResultsMy results show a clear correlation between level of vigour and passing success rate (See figures and tables 3). I found a 0.96 correlation between my two variables using Spearman’s rank order correlation. This shows there is a very strong positive relationship between my two variables. Subject D had the highest level of vigour; at 26 and her passing success rate was 87.2% which was the highest out of all my subjects. Whereas subject B’s level of vigour was only 9 and her passing success rate was 57.4%; the lowest out of everyone tested. This strong link shows that my initial hypothesis is correct as there is a positive correlation. There is a low standard deviation of 5.17 from the line of best fit which shows all the results are close together and not widely spread out. I also found that there is not a definite link between level of vigour and number of passes (See figures and tables 4). Using Spearman’s rank order correlation I got a correlation of 0.19 thus supporting my statement of there being no correlation between level of vigour and number of passes. Subject C’s level of vigour was 12 and she made only 17 passes. Whereas subject A made 58 passes and her level of vigour was 14. This shows my second hypothesis isn’t supported as there is no correlation between these two factors.


DiscussionThere was a clear trend in my data showing a positive correlation between level of vigour and passing success rate. There were no outliers in this section of my study. I expected to get this finding as I hypothesised having a higher level of vigour would result in a higher passing success rate. This result shows my first hypothesis has been supported by my findings. There was no relationship between level of vigour and number of passes made. This result surprised me as I was expecting a positive correlation between these two factors. In this Subject C’s level of vigour was 12 and she made only 17 passes. Whereas subject A made 58 passes and her level of vigour was 14. There is only a small difference between these two participants level of vigour but a significant difference between the number of passes made thus showing other factors must be taken into account when looking into the number of passes made. This shows that my second hypothesis hasn’t been supported by my results and a further research study would have to look into this area to get more conclusive evidence of a link between level of vigour and passing success rate.


ConclusionTo investigate whether there is a relationship between optimum levels of vigour and 16-25 year old female footballers passing success rate at participation level. Looking at my literacy review aided me to make my hypotheses because the previous research found many links between level of vigour and enhanced performance. My first hypotheses has been supported by my results as you can see a clear positive correlation between level of vigour and passing success rate. Having higher levels of vigour enables participants to put maximum effort and concentration into the task making them more likely to succeed therefore it makes sense that this hypotheses is supported through my findings.My second hypotheses is not supported by my results as I found no correlation between the number of passes made and level of vigour. There maybe other factors that affect the number of passes made; these factors can be internal such as motivation, fatigue and other moods or could be related to external factors such as the game itself. For example when playing a game against a tough opposition strikers will have fewer opportunities to pass the ball and when playing an easy opponent defenders may suffer the same problem. These factors may be a key reason as to why I found no correlation between level of vigour and number of passes.


Assessment Criteria Pages 19-26

• P5: carry out a review of the research project conducted, describing strengths, areas for improvement and future recommendations.

• M3: carry out a review of the research project, explaining strengths, areas for improvement and future recommendations.

• D2: carry out a review of the research project, justifying future recommendations for further research.

Review (1/3)Although there is no clear link between level of vigour and number of passes made my conclusion met my project aim well because it confirmed there is a correlation between the level of vigour and passing success rate of female footballers at participation level between the ages of 16-25. As stated in my conclusion my results showed a clear correlation between level of vigour and passing success rate as there is a positive correlation on my scatter graph (See figures and tables 3) and I used Spearman’s rank order correlation to ensure my correlation was significant. I believe this finding is due to the fact having high levels of vigour will improve the players levels of concentration and effort therefore increasing the players passing accuracy. My results are reliable as passing success rate was measured by an observer and checked from video analysis.

P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify

Review (2/3)One main strength of my research project was the fact I handed out standardised instructions before my participants did their POMS questionnaire. This was a strength because doing this meant each participant had the same information which therefore improves the reliability of POMS test scores. Another strength is that I videoed the game to improve the accuracy of recording passing success rate; this was a strength because it meant that I was able to check that I had recorded the correct scores for each of my participants making the scores more accurate. Improving both the accuracy and reliability of my data collection techniques is a massive strength as it means my results are consistent and reliable. Doing this also means if I was to carry out the research again I should find similar results as there is a high level of reliability.


Review (3/3)One weakness of my research project is that I only measured their passing in one game. I should measure passing during different games as the opponent may affect the number of passes; as playing against a tough opponent will reduce the number of passes a striker does. This was a weakness because only measuring it in one game will reduce the reliability of my results. Another weakness of my project is that I only measured it once throughout the season. This is also a weakness because Lovell et al. (2010) found level of vigour changes throughout a season and therefore I would get more accurate and reliable results if they completed the POMS test and I measured their passing success rate 3 time a season. The final weakness of my project is that because I observed games with Georgia and there maybe issues concerning inter-rater reliability as there was no discussion of what counts as a pass or unsuccessful pass. This means one of us may have counted something as a pass and the other wouldn’t. This is a weakness as this reduces the reliability and accuracy of the passing success rate scores.


Future Recommendations (1/5)If I was to complete this research project again I would change number of games watched from 1 to 3 to create an average of passing success rate; there are many benefits of this including the fact it would eliminate the influence of the opponents ability and increase the reliability of the results. I would also make this project longitudinal so it lasted throughout the entire season. This allows me to measure level of vigour at least 3 times because Lovell et al. (2010) found that timing within the season affects level of vigour in Sunday league soccer players. The final thing I would change if I was to undergo this project again would be the observers. I would improve the inter-rater reliability by ensuring both observers have a discussion before the game to make sure they are counting the same things as a pass or not; again I would video the games to results here can be verified.

P4: Produce / P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify

Future Recommendations (2/5)The first benefit would be I could create an average passing success rate and number of passes to remove the influence of external factors such as the opponent’s ability on their score. I would also be able to remove any outliers; for example if one participant did 56, 53, 22 passes during the 3 games I would be able to remove the final one in order to create a reliable and accurate average; this will further improve the reliability and accuracy of my results. I would also be able to create an average level of vigour as I would measure it 3 times during the seasons. Lovell et al. (2010) found that the time during season affects a players level of vigour so measuring it 3 times will have many benefits including it would remove the effect of seasonal timing and improve the reliability of these results. The final benefit of these changes are that ensuring observers have a discussion before will improve the reliability between observers and therefore ensures the passing success rate is correct for each player improving overall reliability and accuracy of the results.


Future Recommendations (3/5)In future research I would recommend the same study is carried out on men of the same population to see if there is a similar correlation between the level of vigour and passing success rate. Doing the same study would allow me to see if there was a gender difference; this would show me whether level of vigour affects the response between different genders in different ways. This will also show me whether the same psychological thought processes affects the ability of the other gender to perform a technical skill; it allows us to see whether different genders respond differently to these thought processes. This could be done on a local football team looking at all the players; looking at more than 10 people will make the results more reliable. To remove the effect of other variables I will have to ensure the players are chosen by the same scope and the same project is carried out exactly.


Future Recommendations (4/5)In future research I would recommend the same study is carried out on other sports looking at the same population to see if there is a similar correlation between the level of vigour and passing success rate within their sport. This could be done in rugby, netball, basketball and hockey. Doing this study will allow me to see if level of vigour affects a technical factor in different sports or whether different athletes who have gone through different training respond in a different way to the psychological thought processes. It will theoretically show me which sport requires higher levels of vigour for them to perform at their optimum. This will also give me broader results which will therefore make them more reliable as I have tested more people from a variety of activities. Again to remove the effect of other variables I will have to ensure the players are chosen by the same scope and the same project is carried out exactly.


Future Recommendations (5/5)In future research I would recommend the same study is carried out on a variety of sports and genders looking at the same population to see if there is a similar correlation between the other mood states in the POMS test and passing success rate within their sport. There are 6 moods, vigour, tension, confusion, fatigue, anger, and depression. I would want to see if any of the other mood states have an influence and which one has the biggest influence over the technical factor. This will tell me whether level of vigour is the mood that has the biggest influence over passing success rate. After finding out which mood has the biggest influence the findings can be used to help athletes control a specific emotion that will then optimise their performance. Again to remove the effect of other variables I will have to ensure the players are chosen by the same scope and the same project is carried out exactly.


Research Project Appendices

Appendix 1

Standardised instructions – I have handed you a questionnaire and a glossary of words; when I say you can begin please choose the most appropriate response to each 65 moods; you should be relating these moods to how you feel within a game of football. Consult the glossary whenever you don’t understand the definition of the emotion. You have 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Please begin

Appendix 2

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/poms.htm




Appendix 3

Tally chart – (example, not actual data)

Number of passes IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Number of unsuccessful passes

IIIIII

Research Project Figures and Tables

Figures and Tables 1Tally chart – (number of successful passes/number of passes) X100

Figures and Tables 2


8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 280

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Level of vigour

A graph to show the relationship between level of vigour and passing success rate of participation level female footballers aged 16-25

Pass

ing

succ

ess

rate

(%)


8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 280

10

20

30

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Level of vigour

Num

ber o

f pas

ses

A graph to show the relationship between level of vigour and number of passes of participation level female footballers aged 16-25

research project

Sports

tables page

acknowledgements page

aim page

abstract page

references page

hypothesis page

method page

discussion page