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Braeden McKenzie

University of Toronto
Concussion and Culture: The Cycle of Knowledge and the Athlete/Parent Experience
Concussion and Culture: The Cycle of Knowledge and the Athlete/Parent Experience
This paper presents thematic analysis that explores sport-related concussion (SRC) knowledge in youth sport through the lived experiences of youth athletes and their mothers. By applying theoretical perspectives of knowledge and power, SRC knowledge flow is framed as a social process, influenced by complex cycles of social structures and interactions. Thus, the investigation shifts the lens of analysis from traditional knowledge translation research based in behavioural psychology to a constructionist, cultural studies approach. Using data gathered through semi-structured interviews with youth athletes and mothers of youth athletes, the examination challenges the taken-for-granted assumptions of current SRC knowledge research. In applying the experiences of the participants, this research aims to 1) contextualize the social process of concussion knowledge flow (including SRC information or knowledge sources), 2) critically assess the role that the individual experience plays in the social issue of concussion-era sport, and 3) assess whose knowledge counts when it comes to SRC education in youth sport. Finally, implications of the intersection between scientific research and the cycle of SRC knowledge are discussed to help contextualize the process of knowledge production, distribution, consumption, and reproduction.