Date of Award
5-1-2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Education
First Advisor
Fadde, Peter
Abstract
Expertise, rapid decision-making, and situational awareness are key components of high performance in many areas, including basketball officiating. Traditional methods of providing feedback on performance to basketball referees rely heavily on broadcast video and rule review, which does not adequately target the perceptual-cognitive skills associated with rapid and dynamic decision-making. The current study developed and evaluated a 360-degree video virtual reality (VR) Expertise-Based Training (XBT) program designed to accelerate expertise in intermediate-level basketball referees. Using think-aloud protocol, conducted with an expert basketball referee, expert judgments and rational were elicited and implemented as Expert-Model Feedback within the referee training program. Twelve intermediate-level basketball referees (n = 12) were randomly assigned to a training program with Expert-Model Feedback or to a group that received feedback based solely on correctness across three training sessions. A within-subjects pretest-posttest design was used to assess decision-making accuracy and reaction-time, situational awareness (SAGAT), task-specific self-efficacy (REFS), and competitive state anxiety (CSAI-2R). The results indicated significant improvements in decision-making and situational awareness following training in both feedback conditions. A mixed-design ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between time and feedback condition; however, the main effect of feedback type was not significant. The findings of this study provide support to the viability of 360-degree video VR XBT as a deliberate practice tool for accelerating expertise in sports officials, and other domains that rely on rapid decision-making skills, and practical guidance on the implementation of feedback types.
Access
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