Exploring College Choice Through the Lived Experiences of First-generation Student-athletes at NCAA Division II Institutions in West Virginia

Exploring College Choice Through the Lived Experiences of First-generation Student-athletes at NCAA Division II Institutions in West Virginia
Author: Leah M. Turner
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2017
Genre: College athletes
ISBN:

Understanding the college choice process for student-athletes who are first in their families to enroll in post-secondary institutions is essential in addressing issues such as access, affordability, retention, and degree completion for this population. Personal accounts of the target population explain institutional choice from the viewpoint of first- generation, student-athletes. This qualitative, phenomenological case study investigates the college choice of eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II student-athletes who are also the first in their families to pursue a post-secondary degree.

Impact of Sport Discontinuation on the Experience and Identity of First-generation and Non-first-generation NCAA Division I Wrestlers

Impact of Sport Discontinuation on the Experience and Identity of First-generation and Non-first-generation NCAA Division I Wrestlers
Author: Michelle Roppeau
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN: 9781339543680

The discontinuation of intercollegiate athletics teams at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III institutions has been tracked by the NCAA national office for decades. From 1988-89 through 2014-15, the men's sport with the greatest net loss of teams throughout all NCAA divisions was wrestling. While a body of research exists that examines factors cited by campus and athletic administrators as reasons that lead to the discontinuation of NCAA sports, the actual lived experience of college student-athletes in the wake of sport elimination has garnered little attention. After a sport is discontinued, the NCAA also ceases to examine the academic progress, retention, or persistence to degree of those Division I student-athletes. Retrospective interviews with twelve Division I wrestlers provide insight into their experience and changes in identity following sport elimination. The contextual framework includes a review of the role of intercollegiate athletics in higher education, summary of current NCAA structure, discussion of the economics of Division I athletics, overview of the ancient origins of wrestling, and examination of the structure of modern intercollegiate and club wrestling programs. First-generation college students negotiate and construct multiple identities while navigating the university experience. Since participation in athletics is commonly used as a springboard for social mobility and access to the cultural capital of higher education, this project explored the experience of both first-generation and non-first-generation NCAA Division I wrestlers. This research privileges the voices of college student-athletes who candidly shared personal insights after the elimination of a sport that provided a significant source of their identity. Research was designed to expand the literature on the experience and identity of first-generation college students, contribute to the development of a robust body of work on the specific experience of first-generation college student-athletes at NCAA Division I institutions, and provide recommendations for campus and athletic administrators considering the elimination of an intercollegiate sport. While sport discontinuation is usually considered to be an event (the elimination of a team on a particular date), findings in this study suggest that sport discontinuation might be better viewed as a process with ripple effects that last for years. The decision to eliminate a team requires thoughtful consideration of the effect it will have on the experience and identity of individual student-athletes. To mitigate the short-term and long-term effects of sport discontinuation, it is recommended that institutions establish and maintain support services specifically for the affected student-athletes in the months prior to and years following the announcement of the elimination of the team.

The Student Athlete's Guide to College Success

The Student Athlete's Guide to College Success
Author: Algerian Hart Ph.D.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2016-11-21
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN:

An invaluable guide for potential collegiate student athletes, this guide presents strategies to assist student athletes with life skills both inside and outside of the classroom and athletic arenas. Student athletes must overcome a gauntlet of challenges in order to be successful in college. This guide supports student athlete success by identifying various potential issues and providing specific guidance and advice based on the author's direct experience and insider knowledge. It presents potential collegiate athletes with a wide-ranging and inclusive view of the intercollegiate sport experience and a comprehensive explanation of the role of the student athlete. This book is a comprehensive guide for student athletes and their families that will assist in deliberating scholarship offers from multiple institutions and setting a course for success in college. Readers will be equipped to determine which scholarship option—and in some cases, which sport or sports—is the optimal choice, be knowledgeable about their financial aid options and the rules of recruiting, and be prepared with a list of suggested questions that American student athletes should ask coaches and recruiting officials wishing to pursue their talents. This guide provides the essential strategies that will enable student athletes to gain life skills both inside and outside of the classroom and athletic arenas.

Black Collegiate Athletes and the Neoliberal State

Black Collegiate Athletes and the Neoliberal State
Author: Albert Y. Bimper
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2020-07-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1498589545

This study analyzes sociocultural productions of power, knowledge, identity, and resistance through the lens of race in collegiate athletics. Drawing on research at multiple institutions, the author examines the lived experiences of current black student athletes pursuing their education and competing for elite NCAA Division 1 athletic departments. The author situates the experiences of black athletes within the complexities of the American dream, arguing that neoliberal beliefs and practices have perpetuated racial inequality through the system of collegiate sport.

The Lived Experience of the Collegiate Female Student-athlete

The Lived Experience of the Collegiate Female Student-athlete
Author: Kelsie Ann Patricia Saxe
Publisher:
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

This study explores the lived experience of the collegiate female student-athlete. This population makes up approximately half of the 463,000 student-athletes competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (Irick, 2013). Previous research has explored the benefits and drawbacks of women’s participation in sport and specific experiences within the female student-athlete experience. While research heavily encourages the adolescent girl’s participation in sports, there is conflicting research regarding the impact sport has on the experiences of female student-athletes at an elite level. LaFountaine (2007) found that female student-athletes are not thriving in relation to various aspects of holistic wellness. However, McLester, Hardin and Hoppe (2014) found that very few female student-athletes were susceptible to eating disorders and many had high levels of self-esteem and positive body image. Previous literature has explored the experiences of female student-athletes experiencing depression through a phenomenological perspective, however this whole population has not been explored using hermeneutic phenomenology (Jones et al., 2010; LaFountaine, 2007). The purpose of exploring this population through hermeneutic phenomenology is to gain a rich understanding of the experiences of collegiate female student-athletes so that administrators, coaches, and support staff can gain understanding of their experiences to guide their decisions and actions when leading this population. Participants were female student-athletes in their third or fourth year of eligibility at an NCAA, Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution. One in-depth, unstructured interview was conducted with each participant. Interviews were unstructured to allow the participant to direct the conversation and discuss aspects of her experience that seem most relevant to share. The transcripts were then analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in which four themes emerged: transition blues, grinding it out, student-athlete bubble, and passing it on. Subthemes within these themes included: freshman year blues, senior year blues, injury, people leave, pressure, coaching issues, consuming, overwhelming support, my team, learning, and teaching. By examining the collegiate female student-athlete’s experience, athletic department staff can gain greater understanding of these experiences and better adapt to meet the needs of each student-athlete to enhance the experiences of this population.

College Knowledge for the Student Athlete

College Knowledge for the Student Athlete
Author: David Schoem
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2011-11-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0472034545

This book was written to support the academic success of student athletes—whether at a large or small university or college, whether team or individual sport, whether women or men, whether on scholarship or not. While all college students must learn to negotiate the complex transition from high school to college, student athletes face unique challenges, including the complicated set of regulations set out by the NCAA and individual conferences that determine eligibility. The current environment in college athletics makes it even more critical that student athletes understand what they need to do academically and how to avoid potential situations that could jeopardize their athletic careers. College Knowledge for the Student Athlete is a road map and tour guide for a successful career as a student athlete. Tips are based on research and the authors’ experience, as well as the wisdom and advice of hundreds of former student athletes.

Gaining the Competitive Edge

Gaining the Competitive Edge
Author: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition (University of South Carolina)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 142
Release: 1999
Genre: Education
ISBN:

This monograph explores and discusses issues related to student-athletes with emphasis on entering student-athletes, and on development of programs to facilitate positive relationships between student-athletes and their universities. Following an introduction by the editor, the included chapters are: (1) "An Interview with Mike McGee" (Betsy O. Barefoot); (2) "Counseling the Collegiate Student-Athlete: History, Problems, and Possible Innovations" (Tim Fields); (3) "Self-Efficacy: A Tool for Providing Effective Support Services for Student-Athletes" (Jutta Street); (4) "Essential Components for Successful Collaboration between Coaches and Athletic Academic Advisors" (Pam Wuestenberg); (5) "Student-Athlete Welfare or 'Welfare'?" (Daniel Boggan, Jr.); (6) "NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program: Results of the Help-Seeking Survey Research Project" (Meg Murray); (7) "History of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program" (Emily Ward); (8) "The Impact of NCAA Propositions 48 and 16 on the Academic Preparation and Graduation Rates of Student-Athletes" (Jerry L. Kingston); (9) "Community/Junior College Transfer Student-Athletes: Ethics, Integrity, and the Second First-Year Experience" (Karl Mooney); (10) "The First-Year Female Student-Athlete: Characteristics and Interventions" (Carol A. Gruber); and (11) "Race and College Sports: A Long Way To Go" (Richard E. Lapchick). (Individual chapters contain references.) (DB)

The New Plantation

The New Plantation
Author: B. Hawkins
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2010-02-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 023010553X

The New Plantation examines the controversial relationship between predominantly White NCAA Division I Institutions (PWI s) and black athletes, utilizing an internal colonial model. It provides a much-needed in-depth analysis to fully comprehend the magnitude of the forces at work that impact black athletes experiences at PWI s. Hawkins provides a conceptual framework for understanding the structural arrangements of PWI s and how they present challenges to Black athletes academic success; yet, challenges some have overcome and gone on to successful careers, while many have succumbed to these prevailing structural arrangements and have not benefited accordingly. The work is a call for academic reform, collective accountability from the communities that bear the burden of nurturing this athletic talent and the institutions that benefit from it, and collective consciousness to the Black male athletes that make of the largest percentage of athletes who generate the most revenue for the NCAA and its member institutions. Its hope is to promote a balanced exchange in the athletic services rendered and the educational services received.

Race and College Sports

Race and College Sports
Author: Duchess Harris
Publisher: ABDO
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2018-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1532159560

Race and College Sports looks at the role race plays in the promotion and exploitation of black athletes by the NCAA. The notion of "student-athletes" is called into question, as are graduation rates and whether college athletes deserve to share in the proceeds generated by their performance. Features include a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Lift Ev'ry Voice

Lift Ev'ry Voice
Author: Michael L. McClellan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2013
Genre: African American athletes
ISBN: 9781303520969

Abstract: Black male student-athletes are entering the California community college (CCC) system at an unprecedented rate. CCCs have become a repository for Black males that have aspirations of competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I member institutions. This historically disenfranchised subgroup of students is required by the NCAA to achieve higher academic standards than their non-athletic peers. While students who are not governed by the NCAA, such as general students, have the freedom to transfer to four-year universities at a pace that matches their skill level and personal commitments, student-athletes must transfer at an accelerated pace. The purpose of this study is to provide Black male student-athletes with the rare opportunity to voice their lived experiences at a CCC and to discover what is known from previous research about the experiences of Black male student-athletes, particularly those who are considered NCAA non-qualifiers. A basic qualitative interview approach was employed as a lens to gain a more meaningful understanding of how Black male athletes' experiences may promote and/or deter their graduation from a two-year college and transfer to a four-year college. The sample group included 14 Black male subjects at Crown Jewel City College (CJCC), a large, urban, and single district community college in Southern California. Purposeful sampling was conducted to form an information-rich environment that offered insightful answers to underscore the study. Eight major themes emerged that best describe experiences that may promote or deter graduation from a two-year college and transfer to a four-year college. Promoting themes included: embracing the CCC, faculty and academic support, time management, and grit, confidence, and motivation (GCM). Deterring themes included: negative perceptions, self-reliance, poor choices and decision making, and challenges and distractions. Alexander W. Astin's model of student involvement--the inputs, environment, and outputs associated with student development--was the theoretical framework employed to analyze the findings. Recommendations are provided for the NCAA, CCCAA, high school and college counselors, coaches, family members, policy makers, and key stakeholders. The aim of this study is to bring awareness to the social, environmental, and institutional factors that often lead to higher graduation rates and lower attrition rates for a subgroup that has been largely ignored in the past. Hopefully, the findings will inform and trigger the NCAA to create policies that better support all student-athletes while not penalizing underrepresented students as a result of their pre-college experiences.