Browsing by Subject "coach"

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    Disconnected Dyads: the Distressed Dynamics of the Coach/Athlete Relationship in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Intercollegiate Athletes
    (2016-05-05) Miranda, Lauren
    Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) athletes face a complex and heterosexist culture in athletics, maintained by stereotypes and harassment, that impacts them negatively: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Theories of social change suggest that their coaches can play an invaluable role in remedying this culture—starting with forging meaningful and supportive relationships with the athlete themselves. This study explored coach-athlete dynamics in various domains and in comparison to ideals as reported by a sample of LGB-identified, intercollegiate athletes using the Coach Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) and interview questions. It was hypothesized that the relationships between LGB-identified athletes and their coaches would be weakened and would show a significant disconnect between the athlete's reported ideal coaching relationship and their actual relationship. Results provide evidence to support these hypotheses, and show that LGB-identified athletes show weaker relationships with their coaches than other coach-athlete dyads. These athletes feel that they are missing various components of an ideal coach-athlete relationship as it pertains to trust, respect, and understanding of their identity. They suggest that this impacts their personal well-being, their performance as athletes, and their overall satisfaction on their team and in their sport. These findings imply that coaches need to take a more active role in creating an inclusive culture on their team through building more effective relationships and attempting to understand the different challenges that face their LGB-identified athletes.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Effects of High School Athletic Participation on the Educational Aspirations of Male Student-Athletes: Does Race Matter?
    (2013-04-17) Rogers, Sarah
    With 55.5% of the nation’s high school students participating in athletics, it is valuable for educators to understand how athletics affect students’ educational aspirations. Educational aspirations are the strong desires to further one’s education after high school, and are a strong predictor for educational attainment. Three separate analyses contributed to the findings, specific to males. 1. Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 revealed a statistically significant correlation between interscholastic athletic participation and students’ educational aspirations. 2. Interviews with six soccer and basketball coaches at middle-sized high schools in Durham, North Carolina provided a more in-depth look at the role of coaches and demonstrated that every coach implements measures to encourage his players’ educational success. 3. Questionnaires from 94 student-athletes indicated that, of those surveyed, 92% planned to obtain a college or postgraduate degree, showing very high educational aspirations. Also, 90% of the student-athletes considered or planned to play their sport in college, with higher percentages of blacks and Hispanics desiring this as compared to whites. Race and social mobility also played important factors in the findings. Social mobility is when an individual moves from one socio-economic level to another, providing the individual with increased opportunities for further advancement in society. A larger percentage of white student-athletes prioritized their academics while a larger percentage of black and Hispanic student-athletes prioritized their athletics. Social mobility seemed to have a strong correlation with the minority students’ priorities and plans to play their sport in college.