Vol 11, Issue 5

The Relationship between Athlete Identity and Career Exploration and Engagement in Division II Athletes

August 1, 2018 - By 

Authors

Jade M. Bell, Texas A & M University – Commerce
Steven Prewitt, Texas A & M University – Commerce
Vipa Bernhardt, Texas A & M University – Commerce
Dean Culpepper, Texas A & M University – Commerce
International Journal of Exercise Science 11(5): 493-502, 2018.
DOI: 10.70252/JWEU3242

Abstract

There are over 480,000 individuals who compete under the governing of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) but only a few of these student athletes continue to compete after college. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is an association between athlete identity and career exploration and engagement among current student athletes. Student athletes (N = 44) from various National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II institutions in the Southwest United States participated in the study. Participants were asked to complete an online survey consisting of demographic questions, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the Occupational Engagement Scale-Student questionnaire (OES-S). Means and standard deviations on each scale were reported and a Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between athlete identity and career exploration and engagement. A multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) was also run to explore gender differences among the variables. Results suggest there are associations between athletic identity and career exploration and engagement, providing direction for the examination of several areas in future research.

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