American Press, JSAEDS Contents & Abstracts

Journal of Student-Athlete Educational Development and Success
Contents & Abstracts, Volume 2, 2020

ISBN 978-0-89641-595-9
$40.00 (Includes shipping)

An Analysis of Scholarship Distribution by NCAA Division I Softball Coaches — Donovan J. Nelson, Stephen W. Dittmore, Sarah Stokowski — The purpose of this study was to explore fairness factors used by NCAA Division I head softball coaches in scholarship distribution. Research by Hums & Chelladurai (1994a, 1994b) introduced Distributive Justice principles to intercollegiate athletics, indicating need was a popular distribution principle. This study used a single scenario of grant-in-aid distribution with six possible decisions coaches make to determine fairness of grant-in-aid allocation, using a one-way between subjects ANOVA measuring fairness of allocation principles by NCAA Division. Perceptions of fairness varied across different divisions. FBS Autonomy 5 participants perceived an athlete’s performance the previous year to be most fair, while FBS, FCS, and I-AAA participants perceived student-athletes who play key positions to be most fair. In addition, participants were asked to determine which of the six allocation methods was most fair and determined student-athletes who play key positions was most fair and those student-athletes with the greatest need as least fair. (1-27)

Student-Athlete Attitudes about Mental Health and Sport Psychology Services — Rena M.G. Curvey, Marc L. Cormier, Robert J. Reese — This study investigated NCAA Division I student-athlete (N = 174) attitudes and preferences regarding mental health and sport psychology services. Student-athletes reported being more likely to seek sport psychology services than mental health services and were more likely to seek mental health services if offered within the athletic department. Implications for our findings are discussed and recommendations are provided for athletic departments considering how to improve access to sport psychology and mental health services. Keywords: student-athletes, mental health and sport psychology, help-seeking. (28-46)

Understanding the NLI: A Matter of Trust — Krystal Beachum, Matthew Zimmerman, Sarah Stokowski — The realization for incoming freshmen to be able to balance education and participate in athletics at the college level takes complete dedication. Participation in athletics has been linked with reports of growth in the individual's personality and leadership skills and with their overall satisfaction with the college experience (Ryan, 1989). Using former student-athletes as participants, the study aims to look at college athletics through the eyes of the student-athletes.
The purpose of this study offers an inside look at former Division I football student-athletes perception of the recruiting process, along with the perception of the financial agreement and the National Letter of Intent. Although there are thousands of high school athletes that get recruited to attend a college or university every year, little is known about the recruiting experience of student-athletes. Eight former football student-athletes at an NCAA Division-I FBS institution was interviewed. Also, four significant themes emerged naturally from the interviews: feeling like a celebrity, feeling overwhelmed, lack of knowledge, trusting of coaches. The results of this study will allow those working with student-athletes to develop a greater understanding of their experience. Keywords: ncaa experience, football recruiting, student-athletes, national letter of intent. (47-71)

The Life Skills Kickoff: High School Football Players and Positive Youth Development — Charles Williams, Rebeca Mireles-Rios, Victor Rios — Despite high school football classified as the most popular extracurricular activity in the United States by the number of participants, few studies have examined the developmental benefits associated with high school football participation. Even fewer have focused on African-American participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This study explores the perceptions of 42 low-income, male student-athletes from primarily African American backgrounds about how the high school football experience contributes to positive youth development. Qualitative (open-ended) data was used to explore the benefits of football participation in life skills development and the influence of the coach-athlete relationship. The current study provides insight into the nature of football participation with an understudied adolescent population and has implications for educational stakeholders and parents in making decisions about football and related activities in high schools. Keywords: African American adolescents; high school football; positive youth development; coach-athlete relationship; and life skills. (72-102)

The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Burnout: Athletic Academic Counselors — Robin Hardin, Cynthia M. Veraldo, Elizabeth A. Taylor, Denise Jilka — The pressure for college athletes to win and compete at an elite level places demands on support staff including athletic academic counselors. The purpose of this study was to examine job satisfaction and burnout among athletic academic counselors at National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions. The respondents were satisfied with the nature of their work and their co-workers but were dissatisfied or ambivalent in the areas related to financial aspects and operating conditions and also had an overall score of dissatisfaction. Respondents also reported high levels of burnout. The respondents are truly passionate about their job and want to help college athletes be successful but it seems compassion fatigue is present. Administrators need to do much more to create a positive and healthy work environment, and the respondents need to ensure they practice self-care. Keywords: college sports, NCAA, support staff, compassion fatigue, job satisfaction, burnout, academic counselors, work environment. (103-137)

How Student-Athletes Can Use a Portfolio to Land a Career — Deb Titlebaum, Peter Titlebaum — The prospect of gaining employment after completing college can be daunting for many who do not have the formal training or skills honed to compete in a competitive job market. Those who are also student-athletes may find themselves tasked with overcoming different hurdles, due to the time constraints of being a student-athlete. These student-athletes do not encounter the same opportunities or cannot take advantage of opportunities given their busy schedules. This paper explores the way student-athletes can separate themselves from their competition by utilizing a portfolio to demonstrate their skills in an interview setting. Key Words: Portfolio, Transferable, Workforce Readiness. (138-150)

“It’s Bound to Happen”: Academic Clustering at a Division III College — Colin G. Pennington, Jesse D. Brock, Kelsey McEntyreV — Academic clustering occurs when at least 25% of an athletic team declare the same major. Research reveals many student-athletes are steered into majors that yield greater chances of maintaining athletic eligibility rather than aligning with academic interests and occupational aspirations. Clustering has yet to be examined at lower NCAA levels. Guided by environmental theory, the current mixed-methods case-study examined clustering at a single Division III institution. Academic majors of 320 student-athletes competing in 14 sports during the 2018-2019 year were analyzed. Over half of the examined teams (n = 9; 64%) were clustered in various majors including psychology, kinesiology, and business. Interviews with one coach and three players provided their perspective on clustering. The coach acknowledged clustering and even referenced the phenomenon as a potential recruiting tool. Additionally, all players noted social team dynamics played a role in their decision to earn a degree in the clustered major. Keywords: Academic Clustering, Division III, Student-Athletes, Environmental Theory, Academic Major, Mixed-method. (151-178)

BOOK REVIEWS

Implementing Student-athlete Programming, Reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (179-180)

Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best, Reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (181-182)

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