Dr Steve Cooper
Steve Cooper
E-mail address:
smcooper@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Qualifications
Cert Ed (Dist) - UWIC (1980)
BEd (Hons) - UWIC (First class with honours, 1981) – I was awarded the University of Wales’s Eric Evans Memorial Prize in Education as a result of my BEd studies in 1981
MA (Dist) - University of Birmingham (1982) – I won a full Research Council Scholarship from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to read for my MA at Birmingham during 1981-1982
Cert Research Methods – UWIC (2002)
PhD – University of Wales (2006). Title: Statistical methods for resolving issues relevant to test and measurement reliability and validity in variables related to sport performance and physical fitness
Academic leadership
Reader in Applied Biostatistics & Data Analysis
Cardiff School of Sport Graduate Studies Co-ordinator
Module Leader: Measurement Issues in the Sport & Exercise Sciences (USS356)
Module Leader: Statistics & Data Analysis (SSP401M)
Membership of professional bodies:
Elected Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
Member of the Higher Education Academy (formerly ILTHE)
Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications (IMA)
Member of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM)
Research Interests
Statistical methods for resolving issues relevant to the outcomes of tests and measurements in sport performance and physical fitness
Test and measurement reliability & validity
Scaling data to disassociate the effects of body size
Morphology
Androgyny of physique
Fat-patterning
Research Profile
Preamble
Steve is a sport scientist with broad teaching and research interests and expertise in sport performance, physical fitness, Physical Education, coaching, measurement issues, research design, applied biostatistics and data analysis. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and has reviewed manuscripts submitted for publication in the Journal of Sports Sciences, European Journal of Sport Sciences, European Journal of Applied Physiology, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, Measurement in Sport Science and Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.
Steve’s current research interests include the reliability, accuracy and precision of tests and measuring instruments used to assess aspects of an athlete’s physical fitness and sport performance. A key element of this is the critical examination of the most appropriate statistical approaches for method comparison and validity studies. He is also involved in investigating the influence of body size on sport performance and how best to adjust performance data to facilitate the correct comparison of individuals and groups. Steve also has a deep interest in promoting the exploration of data transforms and the wider consideration of non-parametric models in resolving some of the data analysis issues encountered in the sport, exercise, coaching and health sciences.
Related research interests include investigating, analyzing and modelling data recorded in sport, exercise, coaching and health sciences and include: i) investigating the relationship between physiological and sport performance data and body size (scaling) in collaboration with the research group headed by Prof. Julien Baker (University of West Scotland), ii) scaling health and performance indices of adolescents and children in collaboration with the research group headed by Prof. Non Eleri Thomas (University of Swansea), and, the relationships between genetics, body composition and power in games players headed by Prof. Bill Bell UWIC).
Recent peer reviewed journal articles (last 5 years)
1. Buchan, D.S., Ollis, S., Thomas, N.E., Young, J., Cooper, S-M., Malina, R.M. and Baker, J.S. (2011). The effects of a novel high intensity exercise intervention in Scottish adolescent youth. Annals of Human Biology (under review (MS ID: TAHB-2011-0032))
2. Buchan, D.S., Ollis, S., Young, J., Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Tong, T.K., Nie, J., Malina, R.M. and Baker, J.S. (2011). The effects of time and intensity of exercise on novel and established markers of CVD in adolescent youth. American Journal of Human Biology (accepted for publication in 2011 (MS ID: AJHB-10-0266.R1))
3. Graham M.R., Myers, T., Evans, P., Davies, B., Cooper, S-M., Bhattacharya, K., Grace, F.M. and Baker, J.S. (2011). Direct hits to the head during amateur boxing induces a rise in serum biomarkers for brain injury. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, 24(1), 119 – 125.
4. Baker, J.S., Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Davies, B and Robergs, R.A. (2011). Exercise duration and blood lactate concentrations following high intensity cycle ergometry. Research in Sports Medicine (accepted for early 2011 publication).
5. Buchan, D., Ollis, S., Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Buchanan, N., Malina, R.M. and Baker, J.S. (2011). Physical activity interventions: Effects of duration and intensity. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. (published on-line doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01303.x).
6. Davies, V., Thompson, K.G. and Cooper, S-M. (2009). The effect of compression garments on recovery. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(6), 1786 – 1794.
7. Graham, M.R., Ryan, P., Baker, J.S., Davies, B., Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Evans, P.J., Easmon, S., Walker, C.J., Cowan, D.A. and Kicman, A.T. (2009). Counterfeiting in performance and image enhancing drugs. Drug Testing and Analysis, 1(3), 135 – 142.
8. Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Baker, J.S., Graham, M.R. and Davies, B. (2008). Homocyst(e)ine, folate and vitamin B12 status in a cohort of Welsh young people aged 12-13 years old. Research in Sports Medicine: An International Journal, 16(4), 233 – 243.
9. Thomas, N.E., Baker, J.S., Graham, M.R., Cooper, S-M. and Davies, B. (2008). C-reactive protein in schoolchildren and its relation to adiposity, physical activity, aerobic fitness and habitual diet. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(5), 357-360.
10. Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Graham, M.R., Boobier, W., Baker, J.S. and Davies, B. (2007). School lunch menus and the dietary habits of Welsh 12–13 year olds. European Physical Education Review, 13(2), 247–257.
11. Cooper, S-M., Hughes, M.D., O’Donoghue, P.G. and Nevill, A.M. (2007). A simple statistical method for assessing the reliability of data entered into sport performance analysis systems. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 7(1), 87-109.
12. McNamee, M.J., Jones, C.R., Cooper, S-M., Bingham, J., North, J. and Finley, V. (2007). British spectators’ perceptions of the values and norms in selected professional sports: A comparative ethical survey. Leisure Studies, 26(1), 23-45.
13. Nevill, A.M., Holder, R. and Cooper, S-M. (2007). Statistics, certainty and truth in the sport and exercise sciences. European Journal of Sports Science. 7(1), 9-14.
14. Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Graham, M., Boobyer, W., Baker, J.S. and Davies, B. Dietary habits of Welsh 12-13 year olds (2007). European Physical Education Review, 13(2), 247-257.
15. Thomas, N.E., Cooper, S-M., Williams, S.R.P., Baker, J.S. and Davies, B. (2007). Relationship of fitness, fatness, and coronary-heart disease risk factors in 12- to 13-year olds. Pediatric Exercise Science, 19(1), 93-101.
Book chapters
1. Cooper, S-M. and Nevill, A.M. (2004). Does statistical methodology replace reasoning in exercise science research? Some remarks on how to avoid statistical methods merely becoming solutions in search of problems. In M.J. McNamee (ed.), Philosophy and the Sciences of Exercise, Health and Sport. Chapter 6 pp 117- 132. London: Routledge.
2. Hughes, M., Cooper, S-M. and Nevill, A.M. (2004). Analysis of notation data: Reliability. In M.D. Hughes and I.M. Franks (eds.), Notational Analysis of Sport (2nd edition), pp. 189-204. London: Routledge.
3. Tong, R.J., Dobbins, T.D. and Cooper, S-M. (1995). The effect of rear wheel hub design and chain alignment on cycling economy. In G Atkinson and T Reilly (eds.) Sport, Leisure and Ergonomics. London: E. & F.N. Spon, pp 140-146.
4. Bell, W., Cooper S-M., Cobner, D.E. and Philips, S.J. (1993). Anaerobic performance and body composition of international rugby union players. In: Reilly, T., Clarys, J. and Stibbe, A. (Eds.) Science and Football II. E & F.N. Spon, London. pp.15-20.