Measuring the Levels of Athletic Identity and Identity Foreclosure
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Measuring the Levels of Athletic Identity and Identity Foreclosure among Student Athletes at a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) College by Deborah L. Borak A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Wilmington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration Wilmington University 2018 i Measuring the Levels of Athletic Identity and Identity Foreclosure among Student Athletes at a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) College by Deborah L. Borak I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standards required by Wilmington University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration Signed_______________________________________________________________ Amy L. Danley, Ed.D, Dissertation Committee Chair Signed_______________________________________________________________ Ruth T. Norman, Ph.D., Dissertation Committee Member Signed_______________________________________________________________ John L. Sparco, Ph.D., Dissertation Committee Member ii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my father, Max Borak. This work is for you Dad; this is your accomplishment, for being the best father, for teaching me how to be a parent (my most important role), and for believing in me. Because you believed in me, I learned to believe in myself. I know how proud you are Dad……I can see your smile….I only wish that you were here to share this with me. Your daughter, Deborah Leah (smiling………….Dr. Borak). iii Acknowledgements After three years and one month, I am happy for this day: giving thanks as this journey culminates in the writing of my dissertation. The doctoral journey has been a journey of discovery for me, not just in my area of research, but also in my quest for self-actualization. So, while I am here today, having achieved a lifelong dream, I know that I was not alone on this journey; there are many who supported and encouraged me along the way, and I wish to express my sincere appreciation. I would first like to thank my dissertation committee chair, Dr. Danley and committee members Dr. Norman and Dr. Sparco. Your unwavering dedication and support guided me such that what I had perceived to be insurmountable came to be quite doable. I wrote a chapter, you responded with your feedback; we did it again and again, and finally, after many months of hard work, we accomplished what we’d set out to…….. and I am Dr. Borak! I cannot thank you enough. To the entire Wilmington University School of Business faculty, you have enriched my life immensely. You have taught me, encouraged me, mentored me, and lifted my spirit when times were tough. I will always remember and cherish the doctoral journey that we shared. To my Dad, you gave me the greatest gift that anyone could ever bestow upon another…..you believed in me…….I love you Dad. To my daughter, Sarah, the love of my life, thank you for understanding the commitment that I had made to complete this degree. You are my driving force and I hope that I have taught you to believe in yourself as my Dad taught me. You have iv grown into an accomplished, kind, compassionate woman and I could not be more proud of you! To my brother Keith and his beautiful family, wife Michele, and children Sydney and Max (the second), I thank you for your support and encouragement in good times and in bad, for always being there for me, and for sharing this accomplishment. To Sydney, I am so happy that you came to the dissertation defense. With the grace of God, I will be at yours. To my friend Loris (Dr. Crawford), we started, travelled, and completed this journey together, and during this time, I learned what friendship is. To the College, thank you for your support during this journey, for allowing me to conduct research, and for giving me your time, your encouragement, and guidance. I so very much appreciate all you have done and I hope that the information derived from this study will provide benefit to the institution. And last, but certainly not least, cohort 16; we laughed, cried, lamented, and rejoiced together. It was an incredible experience. I wish you all the very best. To every one of you who supported me along this journey and to those I met along the way, hopefully our paths will cross again someday. God bless. v Abstract A major task of adolescence is the development of an identity, a sense of self, making the college years a critical time for identity formation. For student athletes, development is strongly influenced by athletic participation, which has been shown to manifest into a strong and dominant athletic identity, often at the detriment of the student identity, therefore impeding educational attainment. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to gain an understanding of the levels of athletic identity and identity foreclosure among student athletes at a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) college. The study also sought to understand if significant differences existed in athletic identity and identity foreclosure based on selected independent variables of race, gender, ethnicity, and sport played. Finally, the study sought to determine if a relationship existed between athletic identity and identity foreclosure and if so, the direction and strength of that relationship. Athletic identity was found to be high for the sample and identity foreclosure to be low to moderate. Additionally, results of the study identified significant differences in identity foreclosure scores based on gender and on sport played. Finally, the study revealed a positive relationship between athletic identity and identity foreclosure. Keywords: Athletic identity, identity foreclosure, identity development, student athlete, National Junior College Athletic Association, NJCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, academic athletic advising, NACADA. vi Table of Contents Dedication ..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iii Abstract ......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................. viii List of Figures .............................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Background to the Problem ....................................................................................... 3 Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 9 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 11 Research Questions and Hypotheses ....................................................................... 11 Framework and Working Model ............................................................................. 14 Definitions of Key Terms ........................................................................................ 14 Summary .................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 17 Issues Associated with Intercollegiate Sport ........................................................... 17 Identity Development .............................................................................................. 20 Identity Salience and Athletic Identity ................................................................. 22 Identity Foreclosure.............................................................................................. 24 Effects of Intercollegiate Sport Participation .......................................................... 25 Research on Athletic Identity and Identity Foreclosure .......................................... 31 Athletic Academic Advising of the Foreclosed Student ......................................... 36 Intervention Strategies.......................................................................................... 38 Summary .................................................................................................................. 44 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................. 45 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 45 Research Questions and Hypotheses ....................................................................... 45 Research Design ...................................................................................................... 47 Study Population...................................................................................................... 48 Ethical and Human Subjects’ Consideration ........................................................... 51 Data Collection Procedures and Instruments ..........................................................