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

Version

Publisher's Version

Peer Reviewed

1

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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