For most student-athletes, the termination of an athletic career is inevitable and coincides with graduation and transition into a non-sport career. Many student-athletes are unprepared for the transition and experience psychological and emotional difficulties that may interfere with mental health, wellbeing, and career development. The purpose of this study was to explore former NCAA student-athletes’ experiences of career development and transition into life after sport, with the aim to increase our understanding of the athletic transition experience, as well as the factors influencing the quality of transition. In addition, this study sought to contribute to practical recommendations for supporting student-athletes in transition.
Using a convergent, exploratory, mixed-methods design, this study collected: 1) online survey data completed by recently graduated NCAA student-athletes (n=175), and 2) interview data from a subsample of survey participants (n=11). The online survey included measures of the constructs of athletic identity, transition quality, and career satisfaction, as well as participant demographic information. Semi-structured interviews were guided by questions concerning participants’ identity and career development in college, athletic transition experiences, and recommendations for supporting student-athletes. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data analysis procedures were guided by Creswell and Plano Clark (2017) and Braun & Clarke (2006). A synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative results revealed three convergent findings related to the overarching interests of this study: 1) Highly Salient Athletic Identity May Negatively Influence the Quality of Athletic Transition, 2) Prevalence of Suboptimal Transition into Life and Work After Sport, and 3) Need for Increasing Transition Preparation and Career Development Support for Student-Athletes. A discussion of practical implications, significance of the findings, study limitations, and future directions for research were presented.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/46616 |
| Date | 25 August 2023 |
| Creators | Dinius, Stephanie M. |
| Contributors | Howard, Kimberly A.S. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds