Search Results (9)

The aim of this study was to compare the socio-demographic, sporting characteristics and perceptions of student-athletes with disabilities of perceived barriers according to the state system of dual career support. Two hundred and twelve student-athletes with disabilities from two European countries with state centralisation in dual career-related education competences (n = 97) and three European countries with a laissez-faire system (n = 115) participated in this research. The perceptions of dual-career student-athletes (ESTPORT) questionnaire, the exercise benefits/barriers scale (EBBS), and the athletic identity measurement scale (AIMS) were used for data collection. Student-athletes in countries with laissez-faire systems perceived the difficulty of combining family care (p = 0.024; ES = 0.31), the time required to practice sport (p = 0.005; ES = 0.38), as well as the limitation of timetables (p < 0.001; ES = 0.52) and places that make sport practice possible (p < 0.001; ES = 0.73) as barriers. In conclusion, when a country’s educational system does not have structured support systems for dual careers, student-athletes perceive more barriers, regardless of their sporting level. Full article

This study investigates the efficacy of a psycho-educational curriculum package in enhancing the practitioners’ competence to support high-performance athletes’ career transitions. This curriculum was integrated into academic modules at higher education institutions in Singapore (n = 18) and the UK (n = 14). Using online pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, along with open-ended questions, participant feedback on the curriculum was collected. Paired t-tests were used to assess the within-group differences pre- and post-intervention and two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted to examine the between-group differences pre- and post-intervention. The results revealed a significant difference between pre- and post-intervention scores for four factors and for both countries: Singapore and the UK. The curriculum enhanced participants’ confidence in working with athletes and helped identify areas for development. Three key themes were identified from the thematic content analysis of open-ended responses: (a) informative and insightful content, (b) interactive and engaging delivery (strengths), (c) overlapping content, and reading demands and time constraints (areas for improvement). By incorporating this feedback, supported by the results, the current study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by furnishing insights into an effective psycho-educational curriculum for helping the career transitions of high-performance athletes. Full article

Background: The organization of a sports event can be analyzed from the perspective of its impact on the participants, organizers and community. University championships have a sustainable character, with several tournaments being planned over time, receiving increased interest from all stakeholders. Methods: This research aimed to describe aspects regarding the organization and planning of sports events, the academic and professional profiles of student-athletes and the implications of their participation in championships. We used two research methods: one based on geography, and another based on a sociological survey of 139 dual-career students participating in the national university championship of men’s football and women’s volleyball organized by the University of Oradea (Romania). Results: The research results show that academic studies provide professional competencies, while participation in sports events contributes to students’ personal and professional development. The results highlight that dual-career students are more prone to develop their sports careers; therefore, participation in these types of events represents a milestone in their careers. Conclusions: Our study can be considered when organizing these types of sports events and can provide directions for the development of sustainable strategies and programs to support students with dual careers. Full article

Background: Combining sports and studies could be stressful, but beneficial for the athletes’ career development. This study explores resources and barriers in the combination of the sports and academic life spheres during the lifespan of elite Spanish track-and-field athletes. Methods: Seven elite Spanish track-and-field athletes participated in a semistructured interview about their experiences to establish a dual career combining sports and studies/work. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) followed to analyze data. Results: Findings show that elite Spanish track-and-field athletes face educational and institutional barriers to developing a dual career. Time management, social support, and additional resources could play a key role in the success or failure to develop a dual career. Conclusions: This study shows that, to overcome dual-career barriers, athletes are resourceful if social support is provided at both the micro (coaches, families, etc.) and macro (political and educational institutions) levels. It also shows that pursuing an academic career can help in alleviating inherent tensions to athletic life and in finding personal balance. Full article

Background: One of the most pressing problems for athletes is related to the end of their career, a situation that presents serious challenges in the attempt to enter the labor market in the absence of an adequate education. Despite the fact that successful sports students encounter some problems in terms of time allocated to school, consistent work will ultimately provide them with a rewarding career and, most importantly, a relevant social role to inspire other athletes who are at the beginning of their careers. A successful approach to dual career cannot take place if athletes and their entourage (coaches, parents, teachers) are not aware of its importance. By analyzing the concept from different angles by professionals (EU, governments, ministries), dual career can be implemented in an efficient way and much faster if the appropriate institutions are involved. The use of mass media to create interest and content in the sports field has managed to produce major interest among specialists in the field. Methods: In this study, the answers of 30 mass media specialists were analyzed to understand how “dual career” is promoted for the performance athlete in the mass media in Romania. In order to analyze if there is any connection between mass media, dual career and the profile of the performance athlete, we applied a chi-square test and Pearson and Spearman correlations. Results: The obtained results indicate a weak connection between the analyzed terms. Conclusions: The conclusions reached allow us to form an overview of the analyzed terms, managing to create directions for action in order to constantly improve the phenomenon in Romania. Full article

Strong evidence supports physical activity and fitness levels being positively associated with cognitive performance and overall academic performance in youth. This also applies to sports participation. However, whether participation in sports at the elite level is associated with greater academic performance remains unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the academic performance of young elite athletes to that of control students, as well as to analyze whether the type of sport mediates these results. Between 2010 and 2019, all students from the last Baccalaureate course of the Spanish Elite Sport High School—which also includes non-elite athletes and recreational athlete students, who were categorized as controls—participated in this study. Academic performance was assessed through both the grade point average of the two last Baccalaureate courses and through the average grades from the University Entrance Examinations. Athletes were categorized attending to different sport classifications. A total of 1126 adolescents (570 girls, 18.2 ± 0.6 years) participated in the study, of which 483 and 643 were categorized as elite athletes and control students, respectively. Elite athletes attained a lower overall academic performance than controls (p < 0.001), which was confirmed for both sexes (p < 0.001). These differences were separately confirmed for most academic subjects (p < 0.05), as well as when attending to different sport classifications (all p > 0.05). Young elite athletes attained a lower academic performance than their non-elite peers, regardless of their type of sport. These findings highlight the importance of programs aimed at facilitating dual careers among young elite athletes. Full article

The purpose of this study was to identify the career paths of transnational migrating female elite handball players. Fourteen Slovenian and Suisse national team players were monitored over a 7-year period by means of semi-structured interviews and official handball records. At the end of the examination period, six still-active players were interviewed again. Qualitative thematic analysis was employed to develop a contextualized understanding of participants’ careers paths and life trajectories in relation to their athletic migration and dual career. In relation to the limited opportunities offered by small countries with middle-ranking national handball teams, participants highlighted that sport migration coupled with dual career opportunities represented a strategic decision for a successful career development through several key factors: (1) a clear intention towards a professional handball career; (2) the actual fulfilment of professional handball career aspirations; (3) dual career goals as part of the migration process; (4) high personal ambition and emotional connection to handball; (5) the implementation of a successful dual career path; (6) a positive migration experience; and (7) feeling supported and valued during relocation. Sport federations and elite clubs should consider the implementation of a multidimensional approach encompassing dual career paths to facilitate athletes’ transnational relocation and career transitions. Full article

The purpose of this study was to clarify coaches’ competencies (COM) regarding dual-career (DC) support for student athletes in Japan. The questionnaire survey was conducted at 31 universities with an online survey URL that was distributed to 300 collegiate athletic coaches. In total, there were 152 respondents (female, 19; male, 133; mean age, 43.15 ± 12.07 years; coaching experience, 12.83 ± 9.72 years). The online survey adopted a Japanese-translated version of the Dual-Career Competency Questionnaire (DCCQ), which has been translated into nine languages and is widely used in European counties. The scale consists of six factors and 33 items, each rated on a five-point scale of importance (IM) and possession (PO). The Japanese version of the DCCQ was validated through a confirmatory factor analysis, and the internal consistency of the items was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. In addition, we examined differences between the IM and PO for DC support by t-tests and by calculating effect sizes. The validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the DCCQ were confirmed based on the goodness-of-fit index and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, respectively. Our examination of the differences between IM and PO in DC support revealed that coaches perceived the importance of DC support but did not possess the necessary COM to offer DC support. That finding was similar to those of previous European studies. In particular, the Japanese coaches who participated in our online survey recognized the importance of COM in terms of “collaboration with various stakeholders and departments” for DC support but did not feel as though they held sufficient COM in that regard. In other words, the improvement of DC support requires the development of a coaching program that fosters COM to work with various stakeholders. This key insight provides a direction and specific focus for programs to improve coaches’ DC support for student athletes. Full article

The type of sport practiced may shape the athletic career, considered as the period in which an athlete is dedicated to obtaining their maximum performance in one or more sports. The aim of this study was to compare athletic careers and retirement in individual and team sports. Four hundred and ten former elite athletes (38.5 ± 7.6 years) answered an ad hoc questionnaire; 61.5% were men and 38.5% women; 45.1% were from individual sports, while 54.9% were from team sports. It emerged that the age of maximum sports performance and the retirement age occurred significantly later in team sports than in individual sports (U = 15,042 and U = 12,624.5, respectively p < 0.001). Team sports athletes combined their athletic career with work to a greater extent than those from individual sports (χ2 (3, N = 408) = 14.2; p = 0.003; Cv = 0.187). Individual sports athletes trained more hours per week (30.0 ± 11.7 h) than those involved in team sports (19.2 ± 10.7 h; U = 9682; p < 0.001). These athletes (team sports) were in a better economic and working situation at retirement transition (χ2 (3, N = 406) = 23.9; p < 0.001; Cv = 0.242). Individual sports athletes perform physical activity more frequently than team sports athletes (U = 16,267.5; p = 0.045), while team sports athletes participate more actively in veteran competitions (χ2 (1, N = 390) = 3.9; p = 0.047; Cv = 0.104) and more frequently attend events as spectators (χ2 (1, N = 390) = 8.4; p = 0.004; Cv = 0.151). dual career support providers should be aware that team sports athletes enjoy a longer athletic career, and they are in a better position to face the retirement transition than individual sports athletes. Full article