Content area
Full text
The existing literature has provided a great deal of information about the experiences of college and university student-athletes in the U. S. (Adler & Adler, 1985, 1987, 1991; Fizel & Smaby, 1999: Meyer, 1990; Pascarella & Smart, 1991). Translating.findings from the U.S. to Canada is problematic given the significant differences between the two intercollegiate sport systems (Curtis & McTeer, 1990), yet there is comparatively little literature on the experiences of Canadian student-athletes. The purposes of this study were to a) identify the central components in the lives of Canadian student-athletes, b) consider the relationships between these components, and c) map how these components of their lives unfolded over the length of their university careers. In-depth interviews were conducted with senior male and female student-athletes from basketball, volleyball, track and field, and swimming. Data were analyzed inductively following procedures similar to those outlined by Cote, Salmela and Russell (1995). The findings revealed the lives of Canadian student-athletes revolved around three central spheres: an athletic, academic and social sphere. The relationships between these three spheres were described as competitive, and student-athletes were forced to make a number of compromises and negotiations. Finally, the prominence of each sphere changed notably from entry to graduation. This study represents an important step in addressing the paucity of research on Canadian student-athletes and challenges many of the assumptions commonly held about the differences between Canadian and U.S. intercollegiate athletics.
There is a great deal of literature on the experiences of college students, particularly college and university student-athletes. Researchers have investigated numerous questions related to the career planning, motivation, and later life satisfaction of intercollegiate studentathletes. An area that has generated considerable scholarly interest is the relationship between participation in university athletics and academic achievement. In fact, researchers have investigated this question for over 80 years (Curtis & McTeer, 1990).
A review of the existing research reflects a discernible progression in the scope and complexity of research questions about the relationship between athletics and academics. Early studies generally compared the grades and graduation rates of athletes with non-athlete peers (Figler, 1987; Henschen & Fry, 1984; Shapiro, 1984). Several researchers continue to monitor the grade point averages (GPAs) and graduation rates of student-athletes in comparison to non-athlete peers (Fizel & Smaby, 1999;...