A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of the Multitude of Dual Career Experiences in Sport a Doctoral Thesis

A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of the Multitude of Dual Career Experiences in Sport by Emily Deason A Doctoral Thesis Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University March, 2019 © By Emily Deason 2019 I Social research, in simplest terms, involves a dialogue between ideas and evidence. Ragin, 1994, p. 55 II 1 Abstract 2 This thesis sought to explore and examine the multitude of dual career experiences in 3 sport, (i.e., the experience of combining a sporting career with an educational or vocational 4 career). The research focus upon dual careers in sport derived from several research 5 approaches within sport psychology including: the transitions literature (e.g., Wylleman & 6 Lavallee, 2004; Wylleman, Reints, & De Knop, 2013), the holistic athlete perspective 7 literature (e.g., Henriksen, Stambulova, & Roessler, 2010; Wylleman et al., 2013), and the 8 athletic retirement literature (see Knights, Sherry, & Ruddock-Hudson, 2016). The research 9 approaches highlighted the importance of considering an athlete’s life outside of sport and/or 10 their preparation for life after sport. This led to an increased interest in the ability of athletes 11 to pursue an education or vocation alongside their sporting endeavours and the impact these 12 activities have on factors such as, sporting performance, academic performance, well-being 13 and ability to cope with transition and/or adversity. One aim of this thesis was to provide a 14 fundamental contribution to the research field by comprehensively reviewing and 15 synthesising the evidence which addresses the factors that facilitate positive experiences of 16 managing a sporting career alongside an education or vocation. The results outline factors 17 that have been identified as impacting the experience of a dual career, such as: the academic 18 environment, sporting environment, personal resources, and social support. 19 The thesis was then guided by the gaps in the research knowledge that were 20 highlighted by the review. One area that was identified to be of interest for further research 21 was the spectrum of dual career experiences that are presented in the literature and the lack of 22 theoretical conceptualization which explain the development of these different experiences. 23 For example, on the one hand, previous research identified a variety of positive experiences 24 from pursuing a dual career (e.g., Aquilina, 2013; Lavallee & Robinson, 2007; Miller & Kerr, 25 2002; Murphy, Petitpas, & Brewer, 1996; Pink, Saunders, & Stynes, 2015). However, the 26 negative experiences of pursuing two career goals have also been extensively reported (e.g., 27 Cosh & Tully, 2014; Knight, Harwood, & Sellars, 2018; Singer, 2008; Ryan, 2015; Ryba, 28 Stambulova, Ronkainen, Bundgaard, & Selänne, 2015; Tekavc, Wylleman, & Cecić Erpič, 29 2015). The thesis then employs a method that has, thus far, not been used in this research area 30 and further explores these contrasting experiences via a grounded theory analysis (chapter 4) 31 which integrates inductive interview data with previous research (e.g., Aunola, Selänne, 32 Selänne, & Ryba, 2018; Chamorro, Torregrosa, Sánchez Oliva, García Calvo, & León, 2016; 33 Ryba, Stambulova, Selänne, Aunola, & Nurmi, 2017; Stambulova, Engström, Franck, Linnér, 34 & Lindahl, 2015). The findings present experiences of dual careers as categorised into one of III 1 three pathways: the parallel dual career pathway, the sporting pathway and, the 2 educational/vocational pathway. All three pathways exhibit varying outcomes, benefits, and 3 detriments, which are outlined as: the educational gap, vocational skills gap, and the sporting 4 gap. This chapter also outlines a suggested process for the development of these pathways, 5 dual career development mechanism, which incorporates identity, motivation, and self- 6 efficacy. The research contributes to the understanding of dual career athletes as a 7 heterogenous group, as opposed to a homogeneous group. However, this research advances 8 the current understanding by viewing the experiences from a developmental standpoint and 9 presenting a theory of the whole dual career lifespan. 10 The findings presented in the grounded theory development led to the hypothesis that 11 individuals in each pathway would exhibit different patterns of athletic identity, career 12 identity, and self-efficacy. For example, (a) individuals in the parallel dual career pathway are 13 hypothesised to exhibit a balanced career identity, career self-efficacy, athletic identity, and 14 athletic self-efficacy’ (b) individuals in the sporting pathway are predicted to show a higher 15 athletic identity and athletic self-efficacy than a career identity and career self-efficacy; and 16 (c) individuals in the educational/vocational pathway are predicted to show a higher career 17 identity and career self-efficacy than athletic identity and athletic self-efficacy. The 18 categorisation of dual career individuals and the suggested relationship between sporting 19 development and career development according to the pathways presented in chapter 4 are 20 then further explored and supported via the results of a principle component analysis and 21 cluster analysis (chapter 5). The results upheld the hypothesis by identifying three 22 heterogeneous groups based on their scores on identity and self-efficacy measures. The 23 inclusion of retired dual career athletes provided us with two further groups identified as 24 representing individuals who were further along the three pathways. Previous research has 25 conducted similar methods with elite youth or school-aged athletes (e.g., Aunola et al., 2018; 26 Chamorro et al., 2016) but focused on measure of motivation to categorise individuals. This 27 research, therefore, makes a novel contribution through, confirming the hypothesis of athletic 28 identity, student identity, and self-esteem as factors that impact dual career experiences. 29 These findings conclude that dual career support systems and practitioners must consider the 30 type of dual career pathway which best suits the individual in question and take steps to 31 prepare the individual for the associated gaps of each pathway. IV Acknowledgements I would like to thank a number of people who have contributed to this thesis. First, my supervisors, David and Christine, who have provided honest, unwavering guidance and feedback throughout the process which has challenged me to advance my skills and knowledge. Your support has prepared me for a career in academia. I could not have asked for better mentors. Second, I would like to thank Guy and the team at TASS for sharing their knowledge of the area in practice, providing endless opportunities to advance and share my knowledge, and for supporting the recruitment of participants over the last three years. I hope the end of my PhD will not be the end of our work together. Third, to the cohort of young researchers who have shared this journey with me, offering endless support over coffee and bestowing limitless advice. I feel lucky to call you colleagues and friends. Fourth, to my family and friends for always believing in me, supporting my decisions, and offering respite from the workload. Last, but not least, to Tom; I could not have done this without you. V Publications resulting from this thesis Cartigny, E., Fletcher, D., Coupland, C., & Taylor, G. (2019) Mind the Gap: A Grounded Theory of Dual Career Pathways in Sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, (Accepted Manuscript). DOI: 10.1080/10413200.2019.1654559 VI Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... III Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... V Publications resulting from this thesis………………………………………………………VII Contents ................................................................................................................................. VII List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... IX List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... X Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................... 12 1.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 13 1.2. Rationale for Investigating the Research Area...................................................... 13 1.3. Dual Careers in Sport in Practice. ......................................................................... 16 1.4. Definitions of Dual Career .................................................................................... 25 1.5. Purpose and Overview of the Thesis. .................................................................... 26 Chapter Two: Methodology .................................................................................................. 28 2.1. Philosophical Standpoint. ...................................................................................... 29 2.2. Research Paradigms and Research Strategies. ...................................................... 34 2.3. Rational for Multi- and Mixed-Methods Approach of this Thesis ......................

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