Describing aspects of self and social agency related to Canadian university athletes’ life skill development

Authors

  • Scott Rathwell University of Ottawa
  • Bradley W Young University of Ottawa

Keywords:

University Sport, Positive Development, Life Skills, Qualitative Research /sport universitaire, développement positif, habiletés de vie, recherche qualitative

Abstract

Gould and Carson (2008) called for research to uncover the underlying mechanisms related to how positive development occurs through sport. The purpose of this study was to identify who is responsible for university student-athletes’ development of life skills, through the lens of student-athletes. Semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted with fifteen Canadian university athletes (5 male, 10 female; Mage = 22, range = 17-26). Data were analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analyses (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Athletes identified other athletes, the head coach, the coaching staff, and their parents as the people who influenced their development. However, athletes felt they themselves were the ones who contributed the most to their own development in the context of university sport. Our findings provide a preliminary summary of how aspects relating to self-agency and various social agents influence athletes’ acquisition of life skills through their participation in university sport.

Keywords: University Sport; Positive Development; Life Skills; Qualitative Research

 

Gould et Carson (2008) affirment qu’il est important de mener des recherches visant à mieux cerner les mécanismes de développement positif par le biais du sport. Le but de cette étude est d’identifier les personnes responsables du développement des habiletés de vie d’étudiants-athlètes au niveau universitaire, du point de vue des ces étudiants-athlètes. Quinze athlètes d’universités canadiennes ( 5 hommes et 10 femmes, moyenne d’âge de 22 ans) ont réalisé une entrevue ouverte semi-structurée sur ce sujet. Une analyse thématique inductive et déductive (Braun et Clarke, 2006) a été utilisée pour l’analyse de ces entrevues. Les répondants ont identifié les autres athlètes, l’entraîneur-chef, le personnel d’entraîneurs, les parents comme les personnes ayant influencé leur développement. Cependant, les répondants estiment qu’ils sont eux-mêmes ceux / celles qui ont contribué le plus  à leur propre développement dans le contexte du sport universitaire. Ces résultats offrent des données préliminaires quant aux apports de divers agents sociaux à l’acquisition d’habiletés de vie dans le milieu du sport universitaire.

 

Mots clés: sport universitaire; développement positif; habiletés de vie; recherche qualitative

 

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Published

2017-04-20

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2017): Revue phénEPS-PHEnex Journal

Section

Feature Articles / Articles de fond

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