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Culture of Athletics

Culture of Athletics. Conceptual Framework: The Integrated View of Intercollegiate Athletics. Myles Brand – vocal advocate for an “integrated view” of intercollegiate athletics within a university (Brand, 2006 ) Competitive pressure could be reversed & educational foundation could resurface

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Culture of Athletics

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  1. Culture of Athletics

  2. Conceptual Framework: The Integrated View of Intercollegiate Athletics • Myles Brand – vocal advocate for an “integrated view” of intercollegiate athletics within a university (Brand, 2006) • Competitive pressure could be reversed & educational foundation could resurface • Commercialism is a healthy byproduct of a top-notch educational experience (Brand, 2006) • Educational role of intercollegiate athletics highly undervalued. • Criticized in reform literature and termed “academic capitalism” (Gerdy, 2006; Sack 2009; Splitt, 2007)

  3. Foundational Literature – Intercollegiate Athletics Organizational Structure • Competing institutional logics (Southall et. al., 2008) • ‘Official’ rhetoric espousing educational values is ceremonial conformity to what is perceived to be a requirement for institutional legitimacy • Rhetoric not backed up by the behaviors of organizational actors” • Administrator variance in values (Cooper & Weight, 2011) • Leader-value continuum • Faculty & students have rated student-athlete developmental goals and processes higher than athletic performance goals and processes (Trail, 1997).

  4. Introduction American Labor Market • During the 21st century, the American labor force has experienced significant challenges. • Job market has become increasingly unstable • Economy has drastically declined during this time period • As a result… • How individuals construct career identities has significantly changed. (Savickas 2002, 2005; Savickas et al., 2009)

  5. Introduction The Higher Education Experience • As students navigate the higher education experience, they face intense periods of multifaceted personal development. • Regardless of participation in intercollegiate athletics, this four-year window of time is viewed as crucial to forming a sense of career identity (Brown, Glastetter-Fender, & Shelton, 2000). • Student-athletes, a population nested within the student body, face additional challenges as they prepare for life after sport (Danish et al., 1993).

  6. Average = 3.02%

  7. Introduction • Two-fold problem develops for student-athletes during the higher education experience as they construct careers: 1) Internal Psychosocial Struggle • Balance student and athlete roles (ROLE CONFLICT) • Explore and choose careers outside of comfort zone of sport (IDENTITY FORECLOSURE) (Adler & Adler, 1987; Baille & Danish, 1992, Chartrand & Lent, 1987; Danish et al., 1993) 2) External Institutional Barrier • Funneling student-athletes to specific majors (ACADEMIC CLUSTERING) (Case, Greer, & Brown, 1987; Fountain & Finley, 2009, Renick, 1974)

  8. Definition of Key Terms Role Conflict: • Bronfenbrenner (1979) defines a role as “a specific set of activities expected of an individual, which are often identified by the use of labels” (p. 85). • In today’s higher education system, student-athletes often struggle to balance such roles as they are labeled as athletes first, and students second (Adler & Adler, 1987; Broughton & Neyer, 2001). • This term is referred to throughout the literature as representing a place on a continuum Student Student-Athlete Athlete

  9. Definition of Key Terms Identity Foreclosure: • Marcia (1966) describes identity foreclosure as a premature commitment to an occupation without engaging in exploratory behavior. • In relationship to student-athletes, this term is defined as the unwillingness to explore alternatives outside of careers in professional sport (Chartrand & Lent, 1987; Petitpas & Champagne, 1988). • Participation in intercollegiate athletics may hinder student-athletes to explore careers outside of sport, and in turn, promote identity foreclosure or an affinity to prepare only for careers in sport (Baillie & Danish, 1992; Petitpas & Champagne, 1988).

  10. Definition of Key Terms Academic Clustering: • Case, Greer and Brown (1987) define academic clustering as a practice by which institutions and athletic department academic support units funnel student-athletes to specific majors for the purposes of maintaining eligibility. • This term is operationally defined as having 25% or more student-athletes from one team in a single major (Case et al., 1987). • This practice often results in the misalignment of major and career aspiration (Fountain & Finley, 2009).

  11. Career Development and Intercollegiate Athletics • Since the 1890s National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division IA athletic departments have provided specialized academic support services to student-athletes • 1890s to 1990s, services focused primarily on academic assistance to maintain eligibility rather than on holistic personal and career development (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 1993) • Late 1900s and 2000s, NCAA Division IA intercollegiate athletics emerges as a multimillion dollar business. • Student-athlete exploitation (Lapchick, 2006) • Focus on winning and revenue production (Wittmer, Bostic, Phillips, & Waters, 1981)

  12. Career Development and Intercollegiate Athletics • 1991 NCAA Issues National Mandate • Athletic departments are charged with providing student-athletes with meaningful programming that will enable them to successfully explore, choose and prepare for career fields in life after sport • 2001 CHAMPS/Life Skills Five Pillar Programming Begins • Academic Excellence • Athletics Excellence • Personal Development • Career Development • Service • 2010 NCAA Develops Division of Student-Athlete Welfare

  13. Gaps in Current Literature • Further research is necessary to understand what influences student-athletes as they choose careers and subsequently craft their career plans • Relatively little is reported with respect to what life experiences influence student-athletes as they explore, choose and prepare for careers • Researchers still do not understand which career development curricular and pedagogical methods best support a diverse population of student-athletes as they construct careers during the higher educational experience.

  14. Theoretical Framework Savickas’ Theory of Career Construction • Savickas (2002) defines the term career construction as a dynamic process, in which individuals construct their careers by using life themes and experiences to guide choices. • The theory of career construction presents a modern approach to Super’s (1957) seminal theory of vocational development. This theory has developed in the 21st century to describe the dynamic and evolutionary process of the construct of career development (Savickas, 2002, 2005). • Within this study, I contextualized career construction as the individual process of exploring career opportunities, making informed career decisions and designing potential career trajectories based on life experiences • Operationalized as exploring, choosing and preparing for careers

  15. Super’s Career Development Theory Table 2. Super’s Five Stages of Vocational Development (Adapted from Super, 1957)

  16. Relationship of Findings to Theory of Career Construction • Savickas (2005) argues that stages of career development do not occur in neatly defined, separate categories. • Student-athletes discussed how processes of exploring, choosing and preparing for career fields tended to build on one another. • Often times these processes occurred together. • Savickas (2005) posits how individuals choose and prepare for vocations in today’s environment is ever-changing. • Student-athletes in this study support this notion of career construction as an ongoing life process. • Participants discussed how adapting to life experiences, both internal and external to their home environments, continued to shape career aspirations. • Individuals often cited occupations of individuals they observed and learned from over time as foundational to shaping career aspirations.

  17. Forwarding Theory… Student-athletes report… • Career choice and preparation processes occurs simultaneously during the higher education experience. • A sense of passion for a career field guides meaningful career construction • Being a student-athlete prepares one for career fields • All participants cited they were ready for life after sport due to being a student-athlete, they acknowledged. • Career plans continue to evolve even during the higher education experience and could change as soon as they approach the job market in the 21st century

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