The aim of this thesis is to produce a substantive grounded theory of junior-to-senior transition and as a result of this work, to provide knowledge and guidance for coaches, sport psychologists and other personnel supporting young aspirant athletes. Underpinned by a social constructionist philosophy, the research programme was designed to capture and interpret the social world of the participants and to interpret the perceptions derived from their own lived experience of the transition. The thesis consists of three studies which, in a concatenated programme of research, are predicated one upon another. In order that understanding in social research can be advanced, the development of theory requires several rounds of fieldwork, analysis and publication (Stebbins, 1992,2006). Thus the building of theory took place over the initial two studies, the first of which involved the in-depth interviewing of nine participants from individual sports (M age = 24.5 years, S. D. = 4.3 years). As a consequence of this exercise, rich data were collected, depicting the participants' experiences of the juniorsenior transition. Grounded in these data, a preliminary model of junior-to-senior transition was constructed using Strauss and Corbin's (1998) guidelines for grounded theory analysis. More specifically, the resultant model revealed a cyclical process: of learning, identity development and progress at transition. Inception of the process is characterised by immersion in the post-transition environment during the pre-transition phase, in which significant observational learning occurs via the use of more senior role models. This process leads to the identification of discrepancies between the actual (or junior) and ideal (or senior) self. This promotes a period of adjustment in which the behaviours relevant to senior status are incorporated within the self, bringing about a sense of readiness, or ability to cope with the transition. In essence, the athletes had sought to structure their pre-transition environment to represent that which they would encounter post-transition, thereby generating stability for their self-identity. The modification of identity, through the adjustment of behaviours and roles, predicted a competitive breakthrough, at which point the athletes began to think about the subsequent step at senior level, and hence the cycle of immersion, learning and adjustment continued. (Continues...).

The career transition from junior to senior (JST) is described as the most difficult step during an athlete's career, and it is a critical step that many athletes fail to get through (Stambulova, 2009). Stambulova also highlights in her study that a team athlete's experiences of career transitions can be influenced by teammates. Hence, in this study, the focus was on individual athletes, in this case elite golfers, in order to gain a deeper understanding of how the career transition is experienced on a personal level. The purpose of the study was to explore golfers' retrospective experiences of the career transition from junior to senior. The holistic career development model (Wylleman, 2019) and the career transition model (Stambulova, 2009) were used in the study as a theoretical framework. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews of nine elite golfers aged 19-31 (M=25.44, SD=3.74). Three women and six men participated in the study. All interviewees had successfully completed the JST, as all participants, at the time when the study was conducted, played golf on the highest tours both nationally and internationally. The interview result was analyzed by thematic analysis according to Braun et al. (2016). The analysis was divided into four categories based on the career transition model (Stambulova, 2009). The four categories were as follows; elite players' perceived demands during the transition from junior to senior, their perceived resources, barriers and finally their coping strategies. According to these categories, sub-categories and themes were then formed. The authors analyzed the results on the basis of a deductive approach, with elements of an inductive approach in the development of the results' themes. The results of the study show an increase in requirements during the career transition. It also shows which resources were contributing, and which barriers emerged. To deal with the barriers, the results show which coping strategies were used, which together with the resources contributed to a successful transition for the participants. The result has the potential to give elite juniors, but also coaches, a wider view of how increased knowledge of JST can contribute to an effective and successful transition. The results of the interviews were then discussed in accordance with the theoretical frame of reference and previously presented research. / Karriärövergången från junior till senior (JST) beskrivs som det svåraste steget i en idrottareskarriär, och ett kritiskt steg som många idrottare misslyckas att ta sig igenom (Stambulova,2009). Stambulova (2009) lyfter även fram i sin studie att en lagidrottares upplevelser kringkarriärövergångar kan påverkas av lagkamrater. Därav riktades i denna studie fokus påindividuella idrottare i form av elitgolfspelare, för att få en djupare förståelse kring hurkarriärövergången upplevs ur ett personligt perspektiv. Syftet med studien var att utforskagolfspelares retrospektiva upplevelser av karriärövergången från junior till senior.Den holistiska karriärutvecklingsmodellen (Wylleman, 2019) ochkarriärövergångsmodellen (Stambulova, 2009) användes i studien som teoretiskt ramverk.Studien utfördes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer av nio elitgolfspelare i ålder 19–31 år.Det deltog tre kvinnor och sex män (M=25,44, SD=3,74). Samtliga intervjupersoner hadegenomgått JST på ett lyckat sätt, då alla deltagarna, vid studiens utförande, spelar golf på dehögsta tourerna såväl nationellt som internationellt. Intervjuresultatet analyserades genomtematisk analys enligt Braun et al. (2016). Analysen delades upp i fyra kategorier baserade påkarriärövergångsmodellen (Stambulova, 2009). De fyra kategorierna var följande;elitgolfspelares upplevda krav under övergången från junior till senior, deras upplevda resurser,barriärer och slutligen deras copingstrategier. Utifrån dessa kategorier formades sedanunderkategorier och teman. Författarna analyserade resultatet utifrån en deduktiv, med inslagav induktiv, ansats vid framtagandet av resultatets teman. Studiens resultat påvisar enkravökning under karriärövergången. Det påvisar även vilka resurser som var bidragande, ochvilka barriärer som dök upp. För att hantera barriärerna, påvisar resultatet vilka copingstrategiersom användes, som tillsammans med resurserna bidrog till en lyckad övergång för deltagarna.Resultatet har potential att ge elitjuniorer, men även tränare, en bredare uppfattning om hurökad kunskap om JST kan bidra till en effektiv och lyckad övergång. Resultatet av intervjuernadiskuterades sedan i enlighet med den teoretiska referensramen och tidigare presenteradforskning.

Karriärövergång är en process som kan innehålla ett antal krav och barriärer som en idrottare behöver hantera med för att framgångsrikt fortsätta med sin idrott. Syftet med studien var att; (a) undersöka vilka krav och barriärer som svenska golfare upplevde när de genomförde junior till seniorövergången samt, (b) undersöka vilka resurser och coping-strategier som idrottarna använde sig av för att hantera de upplevde kraven och barriärerna. I studien deltog det 12 intervjupersoner mellan åldrarna 22–42 (Medelvärde=32, Standardavvikelse=2.61). Alla deltagare har någon gång varit aktiva inom golfen samt varit med om övergången mellan junioridrottare och senioridrottare. En semistrukturerad intervjuguide bestämdes vid utförande av intervjuerna. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys antogs och författaren bestämde följande teman skulle ingå i resultatet: krav, barriärer, resurser samt coping-strategier. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet visade att krav var vanligt förekommande under karriärövergången bland annat förekom det personliga faktorer och individuella krav samt konkurrens i samband med övergången. Barriärer som upptäcktes under studiens gång var bland annat ekonomi och tidsbrist vid karriärövergången. I resultatet syntes även resurser samt coping-strategier såsom socialt stöd och planering, som användes och underlättade övergången. Utifrån resultatet i föreliggande studie kan det rekommenderas att använda sig utav resurser och copingstrategier för att hantera de tuffa kraven samt barriärer för att kunna genomföra junior till senior övergången. För framtida undersökningar rekommenderas vidare forskning inom golf. Det är av intresse att forskningen utökas inom denna målgrupp samt ökar forskningen kring övergången i andra typer av individuella sporter. / Career transition is a process that can contain a number of requirements and barriers that an athlete needs to deal with in order to successfully continue his or her sport. The purpose of the study was to; (a) investigate the requirements and barriers experienced by Swedish golfers when completing junior to senior transition; The study included 12 interviewees between the ages of 22–42 (Mean = 32, Standarddeviation = 2.61). All participants have at some time been active in golf and have been involved in thetransition between junior and senior athletes. A semi-structured interview guide was determined when conducting the interviews. A qualitative content analysis was adopted and the authors decided the following themes would be included in the result: requirements, barriers, resources and coping-strategies. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. The result showed that requirements were common during the career transition, including external and individual requirements as well as competition in connection with the transition. Barriers that were discovered during the course of the study were, among other things, finances and lack of time during the career transition. In the result, resources and coping-strategies such as social support and planning were also used, which were used and facilitated the transition. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended to use resources and copingstrategies to deal with the tough demands as well as barriers to be able to implement junior to senior transition. For future investigations, further research in golf is recommended. It is of interest that the research is expanded within this target group and also increases the research on the transition in other types of individual sports.