Surface Level Introduction to Cycle 1
This cycle investigated the effects of in-person guided peer discussion on swimmer performance. In order to conduct the study, discussions were based on analysis of underwater video recordings taken of six swimmers swimming the fourth competitive stroke, in the order of the individual medley, known as freestyle. The videos of each participant can be seen here: M2, F1, F2, F3 and F4. (M1 although gave feedback, switched teams midway through the cycle. Therefore his video is not applicable.)
Starting the Ripple:Cycle 1's Research Question:
Will face-to-face discussion, based on video analysis, increase swimmer performance? |
Setting the Temp:In order to give the participants guidance on analyzing stroke technique the following forms were created for their use during the face-to-face video discussion sessions. Click HERE to see the forms. Although the water may be cold, the temperature heats up with a sense of direction.
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Seeing Below the Surface:
Video Session #1Video Session #1, is a single file, of all recorded underwater videos, which was displayed in a series of discussion sessions. The purpose of the video was to exhibit, from below the surface, the stroke technique of each swimmer in the participant group. Upon seeing the video they would discuss and then write their notes on the discussion forms.
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Video Session #2Video Session #2, includes all annotated videos of each member of the participant group. The annotated critiques displayed on each video were extracted from the biofeedback given among participants on the discussion forms. Each participant in this case received their own annotated video. These videos can be see by following these links: M2, F1, F2, F3 and F4.
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Dive Into The Report:
Findings Surfaced
The below figures illustrate the findings of this first cycle.
The above figure indicates the number of critiques received from all 6 participants.
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Of the 39 critiques received 15 were applied by the participants to their strokes and corrected.
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Of the 6 participants, 4 completed the study. 1 was absent and 1 switched teams.
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The above statement refers to a lack of correlation between the number of critiques made, by an individual participant and the amount of time they improved their swim by.
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What do these figures mean?
Based on this study, all participants who completed the cycle from start to finish improved their fifty yard freestyle time. This evidence supports, within this small study, that any critique received from a peer in a face to face discussion, when corrected by the swimmer can help to improve their swimming performance.