An Examination of Career Transition in College Student-Athletes: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

According to the Wylleman and Lavallee's (2004) development model, career transition should be examined from a 〞whole person's life-span〞 perspective. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the student-athletes' perceived changes in athletic, psychological, psycho-social, and academic domains, when they transferred from high school to college, along with their perceived barriers, coping resources, and career expectations. Twenty male and 20 female college students (aged 20.3 ± 1.5 years), who won at least the third place at the national college or high school events, were recruited as participants. A semi-structured interview was used to collect the data. Results indicated that participants perceived stable and mature development in athletic achievement and athletic identity, and participation in training became autonomous, when they entered into higher positions. Participants perceived pressure that was mostly from their own expectations, opponents and teammates, instead of coaches. The peer relationship of participants depended on what kind of environment they encountered, and their academic achievements almost remained the similar level as high school. Poor training environments and low academic performance were viewed as the main barriers in athletes' college life, and these challenges were mostly resolved by themselves, senior teammates, coaches and family members. For the future career, most elite athletes set their goals on being a teacher or coach, and some of them were still unclear. Taken together, elite college student-athletes still concerned about their athletic performance, and demonstrated autonomous attitudes toward training and competition. However, most elite athletes have developed a limited self-identity, which is considered to be unfavorable to their broader career choices after retiring.