Maintaining dual career balance: A scenario perspective on Swedish university student-athletes’ experiences and coping
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/sjsep.v3i.125734Keywords:
Balance, coping, dual career scenarios, taxonomy, universityAbstract
A dual career (DC) scenario perspective was introduced in the Erasmus+ Sports project “Gold in education and elite sport” (GEES) and is characterized by integration of student-athletes’ athletic and non-athletic demands into difficult situations or periods (i.e., scenarios) requiring coping efforts. In this study we consider balance as the primary challenge for student-athletes and set out to identify DC scenarios that influenced university student-athletes’ optimal DC balance, and the factors involved in coping with such scenarios. We implemented a post-positivist qualitative design through semi-structured interviews with six university student-athletes. Our thematic analysis generated seven DC scenarios (e.g., A sport event coincides with exams, and Finalize degree project and continue to train and compete). The scenarios, their characteristics and student-athletes’ corresponding coping are described. Based on the findings, we suggest an updated definition of DC scenarios and present their taxonomy, with four types of DC scenarios in which student-athletes’ circumstances require (a) several shifts between sport and study in daily life, (b) prioritizing sport while maintaining study, (c) prioritizing study while maintaining sport, and (d) prioritizing personal life while maintaining sport and study. We discuss how these developments can be useful for DC research and practice.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11, 589–597. https://doi.org/gf89jz
Braun, V., Clarke, V., & Weate, P. (2016). Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research. In B. Smith & A. C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 191–205). Routledge.
Brown, D. J., Fletcher, D., Henry, I., Borrie, A., Emmett, J., Buzza, A., & Wombwell, S. (2015). A British university case study of the transitional experiences of student-athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 78–90. https://doi.org/f7tzj5
Burlot, F., Richard, R., & Joncheray, H. (2018). The life of high-level athletes: The challenge of high performance against the time constraint. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53, 234–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690216647196
Cosh, S., & Tully, P. J. (2014). “All I have to do is pass”: a discursive analysis of student-athletes’ talk about prioritizing sport to the detriment of education to overcome stressors encountered in combining elite sport and tertiary education. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15, 180–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.10.015
Debois, N., Ledon, A., & Wylleman, P. (2015). A lifespan perspective on the dual career of elite male athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 15–26. https://doi.org/f7t26r
De Brandt, K. (2017). A holistic perspective on student-athletes’ dual career demands, competencies, and outcomes [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
De Brandt, K., Wylleman, P., Torregrossa, M., Schipper-van Veldhoven, N., Minelli, D., Defruyt, S., & De Knop, P. (2018). Exploring the factor structure of the dual career competency questionnaire for athletes in European pupil- and student-athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2018.1511619
Defruyt, S. (2019). Dual career support providers: Competencies, support strategies and education [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
European Commission. (2012). EU guidelines on dual careers of athletes: Recommended policy actions in support of dual careers in high performance sport. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/sport/library/documents/dual-careerguidelines-final_en.pdf
Geraniosova, K., & Ronkainen, N. J. (2015). The experience of dual career through Slovak athletes’ eyes. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 65, 31–40. http://doi.org/10.1515/pcssr-2015-0005
Knight, C. J., Harwood, C. G., & Sellars, P. A. (2018). Supporting adolescent athletes’ dual careers: The role of an athlete’s social support network. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 38, 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.06.007
Kristiansen, E. (2017). Walking the line: How young athletes balance academic studies and sport in international competition. Sport in Society, 20, 47–65. https://doi.org/f33z
Linnér, L., Stambulova, N., Lindahl, K., & Wylleman, P. (2019). Swedish university student-athletes’ dual career scenarios and competences. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/fk8p
MacNamara, A., & Collins, D. (2010). The role of psychological characteristics in managing the transition to university. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 353–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/.j.psychsport.2010.04.003
McGannon, K. R., Smith, B., Kendellen, K., & Gonsalves, C. A. (2019). Qualitative research in six sport and exercise psychology journals between 2010 and 2017: An updated and expanded review of trends and interpretations. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2019.1655779
Smith, B., & McGannon, K. R. (2017). Developing rigor in qualitative research: Problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 101–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2017.1317357
Smith, B., & Sparkes, A. C. (2016). Interviews: Qualitative interviewing in the sport and exercise sciences. In B. Smith, & A. C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 103–123). Routledge.
Stambulova, N. (2009). Talent development in sport: A career transitions perspective. In E. Tsung-Min Hung, R. Lidor, and D. Hackfort (Eds.), Psychology of sport excellence (pp. 63-74). Fitness Information Technology.
Stambulova, N., Engström, C., Franck, A., Linnér, L., & Lindahl, K. (2015). Searching for an optimal balance: Dual career experiences of Swedish adolescent athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.08.009
Stambulova, N., Ryba, T., & Henriksen, K. (2020). Career development and transitions of athletes: the International Society of Sport Psychology position stand revisited. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2020.1737836
Stambulova, N., & Wylleman, P. (2019). Psychology of athletes’ dual careers: A state-of the art critical review of the European discourse. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 74-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.013
Swedish Sports Confederation. (2018). Swedish national guidelines for elite athletes’ dual careers. Recommended actions for the combination of high-performance sports and university education at Swedish national sports universities (RIUs) and elite sports-friendly universities (EVLs). The Swedish Sports Confederation. https://www.rf.se/contentassets/12b2b3db9b88485e847b3c7771d21b3d/swedish-national-guidelines-dual-careers.pdf
Tekavc, J., Wylleman, P., & Cecić Erpič, S. (2015). Perceptions of dual career development among elite level swimmers and basketball players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2015.03.002
Wylleman, P. (2019). A developmental and holistic perspective on transitioning out of elite sport. In M. H. Anshel (Ed.), APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology: Vol. 1. Sport Psychology (pp. 201-216). American Psychological Association.
Wylleman, P., De Brandt, K., & Defruyt, S. (2017). GEES handbook for dual career support providers. https://kics.sport.vlaanderen/topsport/Documents/170301_GEES_Handbook_for_dual_career_support_providers.pdf
Wylleman, P., Reints, A., & De Knop, P. (2013). A developmental and holistic perspective on athletic career development. In P. Sotiaradou, & V. De Bosscher (Eds.), Managing high performance sport (pp. 159–182). Routledge.
