Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Publication Title
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
Publisher
College Sport Research Institute
Keywords
Career Development, Student Athletes, Intercollegiate Athlete
Abstract
Career development is one of the major objectives of universities. It is well-known that intercollegiate athletes have many time commitments that make it more challenging for them to focus on their career development. To compound this issue, the effectiveness of career development efforts may be impacted by the gender of the intercollegiate athlete. The purpose of this study was to examine the career readiness of student-athletes, focusing on differences based on gender. This was accomplished through the lenses of the social cognitive career theory and career decision self-efficacy. A total of 137 intercollegiate student-athletes at a large Midwestern university completed a career readiness instrument. It was found that there were differences between genders in the intercollegiate athlete’s perceived career readiness. Female intercollegiate student-athletes indicated lower levels of ability on career related skills, less confidence in their problem solving, higher levels of general indecisiveness about career choice, and a higher need for self-knowledge. There were similarities between the genders as well, such as the need for more career information and levels of career choice anxiety. Recommendations for programs to assist student-athletes in their career readiness and for areas of future research are provided.
First Page
283
Last Page
302
Volume
9
Repository Citation
Parietti, Megan; Lower, Leeann; and McCray, Kristy, "The Career Readiness of Intercollegiate Athletes: Is There a Gender Gap?" (2016). Health and Sport Sciences Faculty Scholarship. 19.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/hsports_fac/19
Version
Publisher's Version
Peer Reviewed
1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.