Investigating college athletes' role identities and career development

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between student identity, athlete identity, and career development among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college athletes. In Study 1, participants completed measures of student identity, athlete identity, career self-efficacy, and demographic information including race, sex, and sport played. Results indicated that student identity of the college athletes in Study 1 was a significant predictor of career decision-making selfefficacy (β=.33, t=3.86, p<.001). Study 2 included in-depth individual interviews with twelve college athletes. The goal of Study 2 was to better understand the conflict of student and athlete identities and how this conflict affected career planning for college athletes. Several themes emerged from the interviews, including adjustments the athletes undertook to cope with the conflicting roles. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the complex and fluid nature of the role conflict and the athlete’s management strategies. The results from both studies provide insight into the nature of the relationships between these identities and career development. Suggestions for future research on influences to career development for college athletes are included.