Schedule of Events

This study investigates the influence of coach behavior on Seneca Youth Baseball (SYB) players and parents.  The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of SYB’s main complex.  The findings reveal that both players and parents are largely influenced by the way in which coaches choose to interact with their players. Coaches who foster a positive and supportive environment tend to see this positivity mirrored in both players and parents. On the other hand, coaches who display high levels of aggression and negativity, effectively produce timid and submissive players who appear defeated and uninterested in the game at hand. This study adds to the existing scholarship that has previously been conducted to understand the effects of various coaching types in youth sports.  Results from this study can be used to assist sport organizations in better understanding how to train the most developmentally and emotionally effective coaches to achieve higher retention rates in youth sports.

This study investigates types of thrift store shoppers.  The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of thrift stores and shoppers therein. The findings reveal that there are definitive types of shoppers present within the thrift store shopping experience. I identified two main types of shoppers: necessity shoppers and bargain shoppers. I was able to categorize different types of shoppers based on their appearance and behaviors.  This study expands the existing scholarship that has previously been conducted to understand the thrift shopping experience.  Results from this study can be used to assist society in better understanding those who shop at thrift stores and their motivations in doing so, while also allowing us to abolish perceived stigma associated with thrift shopping.