Athletes’ Perceptions of Their Team Motivational Climate, Career Exploration and Engagement, and Athletic Identity
in Journal of Clinical Sport PsychologyClick name to view affiliation
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between studentathletes’ perceptions of the motivational climate on their sport teams and their own career exploration and engagement and athletic identity. Student-athletes (N = 101) from various National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions were administered online surveys. Canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the climate variables (i.e., caring, task, and ego) and athletic identity, career self-efficacy, and career exploration/engagement. One significant function emerged: Perceptions of a high task-involving climate and moderate caring climate were positively associated with athletes’ reporting higher athletic identity, career self-efficacy, and career exploration/engagement. Results suggest that Division I athletes may benefit from having coaches who foster a caring and task-involving team climate with regard to the athletes’ development as holistic individuals who spend their college years performing at a high level of sport and also preparing for their lives after college and sports.
Poux is with the College of Graduate & Professional Studies, John F. Kennedy University, Concord, CA. Fry is with the Dept. of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
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