TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding dual career views of European university athletes: The more than gold project focus groups
AU - Capranica, Laura
AU - Doupona, Mojca
AU - Ābeļkalns, Ilvis
AU - Bisenieks, Uģis
AU - Sánchez-Pato, Antonio
AU - Cánovas-Alvarez, Francisco José
AU - Figueiredo, António J.
AU - García-Roca, Juan Alfonso
AU - Leiva-Arcas, Alejandro
AU - Meroño, Lourdes
AU - Paegle, Anda
AU - Radu, Liliana Elisabeta
AU - Rus, Cristian Mihail
AU - Rusu, Oana Mihaela
AU - Sarmento, Hugo
AU - Stonis, Jānis
AU - Vaquero-Cristóbal, Raquel
AU - Vaz, Vasco
AU - Ghinassi, Barbara
AU - Izzicupo, Pascal
AU - Baldassarre, Angela Di
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Capranica et al.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Previous studies have found that student-athletes (S-As) have difficulties in achieving dual career (DC) success. However, no studies have analysed the opinion of the S-As on the functioning of DC with a qualitative methodology. The aim of the present work was to collect the opinions of elite university S-As in relation to DC policy adopted by their academic institutions in different European countries. In total, 77 athletes (F = 35, M = 42; age range: 20–25 years) participated in 15 national face-to-face focus groups in five different countries, to discuss aspects that higher education institutes should implement in relation to: 1) the athletes’ needs; 2) assistance/tutorship: 2) curricula requirements; 3) financial support; 4) logistic support; 5) social support; and 6) dual career policies. Fifty of the athletes competed in individual sports and twenty-seven team sports. Of them, 57 was enrolled at undergraduate, 17 was enrolled in a master and 3 in a PhD. The athletes were presented with 13 open-ended questions one by one, and were ensured freedom to interact. All the discussions were recorded. After this, a general discussion took place in which the participants identified and agreed on a final list of statements from their focus group deemed to be relevant to DC athletes as university students. Then, at a consensus meeting, the findings were combined, repetitions were eliminated, and fragmented statements were condensed into broader ones. A final list of 31 statements, organized in six related content units, were identified in relation to the athletes’ needs (n = 5), assistance/tutorship (n = 5), curricula requirements (n = 4), financial support (n = 4), logistic support (n = 4), social support (n = 6), and DC policies (n = 3), respectively. In conclusion, this cross-national qualitative research study synthesized the S-As views about their needs and the most relevant DC policies and provisions that higher education institutes should provide to ensure them with positive academic experiences towards the achievement of a degree.
AB - Previous studies have found that student-athletes (S-As) have difficulties in achieving dual career (DC) success. However, no studies have analysed the opinion of the S-As on the functioning of DC with a qualitative methodology. The aim of the present work was to collect the opinions of elite university S-As in relation to DC policy adopted by their academic institutions in different European countries. In total, 77 athletes (F = 35, M = 42; age range: 20–25 years) participated in 15 national face-to-face focus groups in five different countries, to discuss aspects that higher education institutes should implement in relation to: 1) the athletes’ needs; 2) assistance/tutorship: 2) curricula requirements; 3) financial support; 4) logistic support; 5) social support; and 6) dual career policies. Fifty of the athletes competed in individual sports and twenty-seven team sports. Of them, 57 was enrolled at undergraduate, 17 was enrolled in a master and 3 in a PhD. The athletes were presented with 13 open-ended questions one by one, and were ensured freedom to interact. All the discussions were recorded. After this, a general discussion took place in which the participants identified and agreed on a final list of statements from their focus group deemed to be relevant to DC athletes as university students. Then, at a consensus meeting, the findings were combined, repetitions were eliminated, and fragmented statements were condensed into broader ones. A final list of 31 statements, organized in six related content units, were identified in relation to the athletes’ needs (n = 5), assistance/tutorship (n = 5), curricula requirements (n = 4), financial support (n = 4), logistic support (n = 4), social support (n = 6), and DC policies (n = 3), respectively. In conclusion, this cross-national qualitative research study synthesized the S-As views about their needs and the most relevant DC policies and provisions that higher education institutes should provide to ensure them with positive academic experiences towards the achievement of a degree.
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0264175
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85125397246
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0264175
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0264175
M3 - Article
C2 - 35213599
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 17
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
IS - 2 February
M1 - e0264175
ER -