THE UTILIZATION AND PERCEPTION OF STUDENT AIDES IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHLETIC TRAINING SETTING

Publication Date

4-5-2019

Document Type

Poster

Degree Type

Graduate

Department

Kinesiology & Recreation

Mentor

Noelle Selkow

Mentor Department

Kinesiology & Recreation

Abstract

Objective: Many athletic trainers in the secondary school setting utilize athletic training student aides in various capacities. The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) published an Official Statement on the appropriate use of student aides in 2014. Since then, there has been a dearth of research on athletic trainers' adherence to the official statement, however. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to determine to what extent secondary school athletic trainers (SSATs) are following the NATA Official Statement on Proper Supervision of Secondary School Student Aides, and to determine what the perceived value of student aides are in the secondary school setting. Design and Setting: The study was conducted using an online survey to assess SSATs perceptions of student aides and of the Official Statement. The survey was based on the Official Statement's guidelines. Content validity was established through a review of the instrument by a panel of experienced athletic training researchers. The survey was distributed to 1000 athletic trainers across the country, as well as shared on a pertinent athletic training social media group (the Secondary School Athletic Trainers Facebook group), by a group administrator who was not associated with the study. Subjects were also invited to participate in a follow-up phone interview, in order to clarify answers from the initial survey and glean wider perspectives about student aides. Subjects: Subjects were currently practicing secondary school athletic trainers across the United States. They did not have to have student aides to be eligible to participate in the study. Subjects had opted into the NATA's survey distribution program, and were randomly selected from that program's database. Results: One hundred fourty-five subjects participated in the online survey, and 24 of those subjects participated in the interviews. Data is currently being analyzed from the survey results and interview transcriptions. We expect to discover what percentage of participants have student aides in their setting, and to what degree they allow their students to participate in various activities listed in the Official Statement. As well, we expect to learn subjects' opinions of the utilization of student aides in the secondary school setting. Conclusions: As data analysis continues, conclusions will be drawn regarding the objectives of this study. We expect to draw conclusions on the current opinion of the Official Statement, as well as SSATs' adherence to it.

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