Date of Award

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Behavioral Analysis

First Advisor

Kaitlynn M. Gokey

Second Advisor

Liana M. Kreamer

Third Advisor

Catherine Nicholson

Fourth Advisor

David A. Wilder

Abstract

Esports is a competitive, high-performance domain that requires quick decision-making, adaptability, and effective communication. Collegiate esport programs, despite its similarity to traditional sports, lack empirically-supported training systems grounded in behavioral science. Precision Teaching (PT), a fluency-based instructional system emphasizing accuracy with speed, goal setting, and charted performance, may provide a novel framework for enhancing learning agility in esports. The present study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of PT on tactical decision-making among collegiate esports athletes. Participants engaged in timed, drill-based responding to game-relevant cards, with correct responses charted on the standard celeration chart. Results indicated that PT produced immediate increases in correct tactical responding and maintenance above baseline for all participants. Responding during probes using a novel, response-matched tactical deck was lower than intervention performance for several participants. Because no pre-intervention data were collected with the novel deck, conclusions regarding generalization or other forms of novel responding remain tentative. PT produced immediate and sustained gains in correct responding on trained tactical tasks, while findings concerning performance under novel antecedent conditions were less conclusive. These findings extend the literature on PT beyond academics and traditional athletics, supporting its utility as a scalable, behaviorally grounded training system for esports performance.

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Available for download on Wednesday, July 14, 2027

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