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The Influence of Sport on the Career Construction of Female Division III Student-Athletes

Kus, Jacqueline M
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4065-7632
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479214665334045

Abstract Details

2016, PHD, Kent State University, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration.
Student-athletes have been shown in the literature to have a defined experience that is different from non-athletes. The challenges student-athletes face at the Division III (DIII) level and a lack of research raises curiosity regarding their career development. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to investigate female DIII student-athletes meaning-making regarding major selection using the Career Construction Interview (CCI) and the ways major choices are confirmed or challenged by their own defined life story. The participants of this study included 7 Caucasian traditional-age female student-athletes who exhibited strong athletic identities (utilizing the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale) attending a DIII institution located in the Midwest. Data were collected through semi-structured, open-ended interviews and the CCI, and analyzed using processes of restorying, life design counseling, and holistic-content analysis. The findings of this study indicate that telling, hearing, and retelling their stories were individually impactful and transformative. This study identified three themes across the narratives, which documented the influence of sports, minimal career support, and affirmation of their major decisions as shared experiences among the participants. Implications of the findings point to the need for intentionality surrounding career interventions in DIII post-secondary institutions for athletes and non-athletes. Results of this study revealed that even students with a chosen major can benefit from reflecting on their career stories. These results point to the opportunity to meet the career needs of student-athletes and the general student body with curriculum such as a constructivist career course designed around the CCI.
Tracy Lara Hilton (Committee Chair)
Jennifer Kulics (Committee Member)
Mark Savickas (Committee Member)
Kevin Glavin (Committee Member)
204 p.
Higher Education; Higher Education Administration
Career Construction; Narrative; Qualitative; Athletic Identity; Division III; Female Student athletes; Influence of Sport; Meaning Making; Career Interventions; Major Selection; Restorying

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kus, J. M. (2016). The Influence of Sport on the Career Construction of Female Division III Student-Athletes [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479214665334045

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kus, Jacqueline. The Influence of Sport on the Career Construction of Female Division III Student-Athletes. 2016. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479214665334045.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kus, Jacqueline. "The Influence of Sport on the Career Construction of Female Division III Student-Athletes." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479214665334045

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.