Travis Dorsch

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Human Development and Family Studies

Dr. Travis Dorsch is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Utah State University. Dr. Dorsch’s research lies at the intersection of these areas, and is specifically targeted at understanding the impact of parent involvement in organized sport across the stages of child and adolescent development, the role of sport participation on family relationships, and the impact of parent involvement behaviors (e.g., pressure and support) on developmental outcomes for youth (e.g., motivation and enjoyment) in various achievement domains. As the founding director of the USU Families in Sport Lab, Dr. Dorsch works with highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students to investigate and improve family processes in sport, physical activity, and recreation contexts. This work has resulted in numerous conference presentations, educational materials, and forthcoming peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Dorsch and his students have had their research findings highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune, and regularly consult with youth sport leagues, administrators, and parents to construct more developmentally appropriate sport contexts and to evaluate the role of parent involvement in organized sport.