Jin Park, Antonio Williams, Jiyoung Park

Abstract: While intercollegiate athletes’ overall growth and development have captured much scholarly attention, their perceptions and experiences in the current institutional support system for career development have not been fully examined. To fill this research gap, the current study qualitatively explored female intercollegiate athletes’ experiences and perceptions relating to various sources of support for successful career development. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were performed with nine female intercollegiate athletes at a Division I university. Our qualitative analysis revealed several themes including career aspirations aligning with the major, psychosocial support from mentoring relationship, career fair in the athletic department, and conflict between internship opportunities and athletic commitment. These findings provide a salient foundation for intercollegiate scholars to further examine each aspect of support. Furthermore, the information and insight obtained from the participants will be useful for practitioners seeking to enhance the career preparation of female intercollegiate athletes.

Keywords: female intercollegiate athlete, career development, career support, mentoring relationship, intercollegiate athletics

Citation: Park, J., Williams, A., & Park, J. (2023). Understanding sources of support for career development: Lived experiences of NCAA Division I female intercollegiate athletes in higher education. International Journal of Sport Management, 24(2), 115-140.

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