Andrew Maguire, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Training, recently completed his advanced studies of Educational Administration and Policy with the George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development. He now holds his Doctor of Education degree. His studies concluded with the defense of his dissertation, entitled: "High School Interscholastic Athletic Participation Influence on Student Educational Outcomes: A Retrospective Mixed-Methods Analysis of the High School Interscholastic Athletic Experiences of Undergraduate College Students."
In abstract, Andrew's research aimed to "identify and determine the influence of high school interscholastic athletic participation experiences on the educational outcomes of students, ... [a relationship] well documented from a quantitative approach in existing literature." Andrew sought to "explore this relationship qualitatively... [implementing] a mixed-methods approach through the use of concept mapping to elicit the voice of the study participants through the collection of participant generated, sorted, and rated data. Representing the first application of the concept mapping methodology to this area of research, [Andrew's research] captured the student voice and perspective, yielding notable findings in regard to (1) the development of a framework for the understanding of experiences associated with interscholastic athletics participation, (2) the homogeneity of perception of similar interscholastic athletic experiences of boys and girls, and (3) discrepancies in the frequency of occurrence and perceived influence of interscholastic athletic experiences by students."
Undoubtedly, Andrew's study will serve him well in his continued work at Stone Ridge. Congratulations, Dr. Maguire!