Emily Roper
Bio
Dr. Emily Roper received her master’s degree (’98) in community health from the University of Toronto and doctoral degree (’01) in cultural studies with an emphasis in psychosocial aspects of sport and exercise from the University of Tennessee. After completing her graduate work, she was an Assistant Professor in the College of Health Professions at Temple University.
Dr. Roper’s multidisciplinary research includes influences from sport and exercise psychology, sport sociology, cultural studies, and gender studies. Her research examines the ways in which gender shapes experiences, cultural meanings, and societal structures in sport and physical activity. Some of her work has examined the representation of physically active females in children’s and young adult sport literature, concerns for safety among women exercising/recreating outdoors, women’s career histories in sport and exercise psychology, and the newly emerging area of cultural sport psychology. Her work has been published in a variety of books and journals including Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, The Sport Psychologist, Sex Roles, Research in Dance Education, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, and Athletic Insight. Published in 2013, Gender Relations in Sport (Sense Publishing), Dr. Roper’s edited book, provides a comprehensive examination of the intersecting themes and concepts surrounding the study of gender and sport.
In addition to her research, Dr. Roper has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses in health and kinesiology. From 2010 to 2013, Dr. Roper served as the Publications and Information Division Head for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She was also the recipient of the 2013 SHSU College of Education Researcher of the Year award and 2014 American Psychological Association Steven R. Heyman Memorial award.
Dr. Roper is currently the Dean for the College of Health Sciences. She previously served as Department Chair of Kinesiology, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Associate Dean for COHS.
Education
- Ph.D., Cultural Studies of Sport; Emphasis: Sport and Exercise Psychology
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- M.S., Community Health; Emphasis: Sport and Exercise Psychology
University of Toronto
- B.A., Psychology
Kent State University
Honors and Awards
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2014 American Psychological Association’s Steven R Heyman Award recipient
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2013 SHSU College of Education Researcher of the Year
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2002 Association for Applied Sport Psychology Dissertation Award
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2001 University of Tennessee Citation for Extraordinary Professional Promise
Selected Publications
- Roper, E.A., & Santiago, J.A. (2021) Representation of athletic girls on young adult sport fiction cover art. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 29, 12-19.
- Roper, E.A., & Polasek, K.M. (2020). Women in sport and exercise psychology from a North American Perspective. International Journal of Sport Psychology,51, 545-558.
- Santiago, J., Kim, M., Pasquini, E., & Roper, E.A., (2020), Kinesiology students’ experiences in a service-learning project for children with disabilities. The Physical Educator, 77, 183-207.
- Roper, E.A., & Fisher, L.A., (2019). Feminist and sport research methods. In L. Carter (Ed.), Feminist applied sport psychology: From theory to practice (pp. 58-68). New York: Routledge.
- Roper, E.A., & Polasek, K.M., (2019). Gender in sport. In M. Anshel & T. Petrie (Eds.), American Psychological Association handbook of sport and exercise psychology (pp. 345-365). Washington DC: APA.
- Roper, E.A., & Fisher, L.A., (2019). Multicultural and issues of difference. In A. Mugford & G. G. Cremades (Eds.), Sport, exercise and performance psychology: Theories and applications (pp. 63-74). London: Routledge/Psychology Press.
- Roper, E.A., (2018). Gender: Important terms and concepts. In S. Razon & M. Sachs (Eds.), Applied exercise psychology: The challenging journey from motivation to adherence (pp. 175-188). New York: Routledge.