Employment Characteristics, Educational Histories, and Pedagogical Training of Educators in CAATE-Accredited Athletic Training Education Programs

Abstract

Context: With the rapid expansion of ATEPs in the last decade, the demand for doctoral-trained athletic training educators has increased exponentially. As more athletic training educators enter higher education, it is important to fully understand how well prepared these educators are for life in academe.Objective: To describe employment characteristics, educational histories, and pedagogical training of athletic training educators.Design: Descriptive study.Setting: Entry-level undergraduate and graduate ATEPsPatients or Other Participants: The Demographic and Educational History Questionnaire (DEHQ) was distributed to 338 program directors (PDs) of CAATE accredited ATEPs. Twenty-four potential respondents were eliminated from the study due to incomplete responses. Thirty percent of PDs (n=102) completed the survey in its entirety. PDs were also asked to forward the DEHQ to other educators in their respective ATEPs, which resulted in the inclusion of 72 additional individuals, for a total of 174 participants.Main Outcome Measures: Questionnaire items were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: Participants included 92 men (53%) and 82 women (47%). Sixty-seven percent held the rank of assistant professor or instructor, and forty-six percent held a doctorate. A total of 22 different undergraduate majors, 18 minors, 16 graduate content areas, and 24 postgraduate areas of study were reported. On average, athletic training educators completed 8 collegiate courses and attended 8 professional workshops based on improving pedagogical practices throughout their career.Conclusions: Contemporary athletic training education is now fully integrated into higher education, with junior faculty members leading the way. Athletic training educators in this study predominantly held the assistant professor rank, possessed degrees across a variety of disciplines, and had completed some form of pedagogical training.