University of St. Thomas, Minnesota UST Research Online Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership School of Education 2018 No Force Greater Than a Determined Woman: Athletic Motivational Factors for Female Student- Athletes at Two-Year Institutions Jennifer R. Rassett University of St. Thomas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Rassett, Jennifer R., "No Force Greater Than a Determined Woman: Athletic Motivational Factors for Female Student-Athletes at Two-Year Institutions" (2018). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership. 109. https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss/109 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS i MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS ii No Force Greater Than a Determined Woman: Athletic Motivational Factors for Female Student- Athletes at Two-Year Institutions By Jennifer Robyn Rassett A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP AND COUNSELING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION 2018 MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS iii MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS iv ABSTRACT This study examined the motivations of female student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics at two-year institutions. Utilizing a qualitative grounded theory approach, this study investigated four focus groups, constructed of female student-athletes from three different two-year institutions located in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. All participants completed at least one year of intercollegiate athletic eligibility at a two-year institution. Results can be broken down into three categories: (1) factors affecting female motivations to start participating in intercollegiate athletics; (2) factors affecting female motivations to continue to participate in intercollegiate athletics; and (3) factors affecting female motivations for starting and maintaining involvement in two-year intercollegiate athletics. Specific exploration of competition, holistic communities, and the “love of the game” phenomena from a female student-athlete perspective is explained. This study provides practices for administrators and coaches of women’s sports at two-year institutions that could help with recruiting and retaining female student-athletes. MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It truly does take a village for an accomplishment like this. I am so incredibly grateful for all of those that have assisted in this journey. I first must thank my committee. Dr. Eleni Roulis was fantastic! I would have never finished without her guidance, knowledge, compassion, and encouragement. She was always willing to help, challenge, and support- all with a positive attitude. Even when I may have been a “tiny” bit high maintenance. Dr. Jayne Sommers has been an incredible resource and support system. She was great to bounce ideas off of and provided me with helpful resources. I particularly enjoyed her “hashtag” comments. They always made me giggle and were perfectly inserted right when I was about to throw the APA book in the trash. Dr. Brett Bruininks’ passion for women’s athletics is infectious and inspiring. His feedback helped me look at the information in new ways. I cannot say “thank you“ enough for all of the time and energy they put into my success. Next I would like to thank my support systems at St. Thomas and at work. I love all my cohort 27 members at UST. Specifically, I would like to thank Shirley, Melanie, LaTonya, Greg, and Jesse. They were so supportive through the past five years. I don’t know what I would have done without them. I need to also give a big thanks to some of my colleagues at work. My boss Kristin Hageman is the best! She has been such a strong role model and so incredibly supportive throughout this process. My other “Student Lifers” Max Poessnecker, Chris Yahnke, Cindy Barnick and Justin Martin have also been willing to jump in and help me out. They also put up with me when my stress was a bit on overdrive. This would not have been completed without their help. Finally, I have many friends and family that I owe an immense amount of gratitude. I have many friends that have helped me through this process. Specifically I would like to thank MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS vi Joanne Sorensen, Jessica Smith, Amy Krier, and Kim Laviano. You all are fantastic and I owe you drinks and dinner! My family has been AWESOME! This includes my witty and charming brother Ryan, my brilliant and comical Sister-in- Law Jamie, and my intelligent, strong, and loving nieces Avery, Izzy, and Quinn. I would also like to thank my wonderful, supportive, and goofy parents Jim and LenNore. My dad brought sport into my life at a young age and never made me feel inferior because I am a woman. And my mom- when I thought I was all alone in this and wanted to quit- she was there, as always, loving and supportive saying “this too shall pass” (which drives me crazy by the way). She helped me every inch of the way. And of course the one who was at my feet through it all- my dog Toddy. Words cannot express how much love I have for you all. MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 History of Female Athletics .......................................................................................................... 2 Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 ................................................................................................. 5 Significance of the Research ........................................................................................................ 7 Problem Statement........................................................................................................................ 7 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 7 Research Question ........................................................................................................................ 8 Reflexive Statement ...................................................................................................................... 8 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................................... 10 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................... 12 Societal Influences in Intercollegiate Athletics......................................................................... 12 Structural Influences ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 Gender Roles ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Tensions in the Literature Regarding Title IX ...................................................................................................... 17 Female Athletic Involvement at Two-Year Institutions .......................................................... 20 Athletic Motivation of Female Student-Athletes ...................................................................... 21 Motivation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 22 In this section I begin by discussing the types of motivation in the literature. I then discuss how relatedness and connectedness and the “love of the game” phenomenon are connected to motivation. .......................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Types of motivation. .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Relationships and connectedness. ....................................................................................................................... 25 “Love of the game”. ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 Recruitment and Retention of Female Student-Athletes ................................................................................. 26 Coaches and Female Student-Athletes .................................................................................................................... 28 Gaps in the Literature ................................................................................................................ 32 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................................. 32 Self Determination Theory ..........................................................................................................................................