‘I was excited to train, so I didn’t have problems with the coach’: dual career athletes’ experiences of (dis)empowering motivational climates

In addition to investing in athletic development, adolescent elite athletes are expected to complete their secondary education. As a result of this expectation and the demands of sport and education, they may struggle to sustain high levels of motivation for both domains. Grounded in theoretical tenets of empowering coaching, this study sought to explore student–athletes’ perceptions of empowering and disempowering motivational climates and their possible implications for athletes’ dual career experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Finnish student–athletes, and the data were thematically analysed. The analysis indicated that a majority of the athletes had experiences…

Sukupuoli ja valmennustyyli vaikuttavat opiskelevien urheilijoiden urapolkuihin

Huipulle tähtäävän urheilun ja opiskelun yhdistäminen onnistuu lukiossa paremmin naisilta kuin miehiltä. Valmentajan merkitys kaksoisuran tukijana on tärkeä. nonPeerReviewed

Urheilun ja opiskelun yhdistämisessä tarvitaan valmennusta kahdelle uralle

Valmennustyyleillä ja sukupuolella keskeinen rooli urheilijan kaksoisuramotivaatiossa

“Women easily feel that they have lost a year if they don’t ski faster” : Finnish ski coaches’ discursive constructions of gendered dual career pathways

Objectives Earlier qualitative researchers studying athletes’ dual careers (DCs) have shown that sociocultural discourses on gender are ingrained in DC policies and practices, creating gender inequalities and hierarchies. In this study, we aimed to extend this body of research by examining how Finnish elite youth ski coaches discursively construct athletes’ education and gender in their talk and coaching practices. Similarly, we examined how coaches’ beliefs about athletes' holistic development are interlinked with broader sociocultural discourses on gender. Design Qualitative study. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 Finnish ski coaches (seven male, three female) aged …

Student Athletes’ Causal Attributions for Sport and School Achievement in Relation to Sport Dropout and Grade Point Average

The present study longitudinally examined stability and change in the attributional profiles of Finnish student athletes (n = 391) in upper secondary sport schools. Moreover, it examined the extent to which these profiles, and changes in them, were associated with athletes’ level of sport competition and school achievements and dropouts at the end of upper secondary sport school. Using latent profile analysis, five different and highly stable attributional profiles were identified for student athletes: (a) depressive (6.9%), (b) athletic self-serving (23.0%), (c) average (16.4%), (d) learned helplessness (30.9%), and (e) responsible (22.8%). The results further showed that over the 3-year s…

Sukupuolinäkökulman huomioimisessa urheilijan uralla tarvitaan monitieteistä otetta

Urheilua hallitsee yhä vanhakantainen miehisyys. Muutos vaatii tuekseen kriittistä tutkimusta. nonPeerReviewed

From athletic talent development to dual career development? A case study in a Finnish high performance sports environment

The focus of dual career (DC) research has shifted from exploring individual experiences within Athletic Talent Development Environments (ATDEs) toward understanding the impact of the environment and the broader cultural context on individuals’ developmental trajectories in Dual Career Development Environments (DCDEs). To comply with national and EU recommendations for socially responsible elite sport, many successful ATDEs list DC as one of their primary values and advertise themselves as DCDEs in order to attract more athletes. The present study aimed to evaluate whether and how a talent development environment for youth athletes in Finland has transformed from an ATDE to DCDE by explorin…

The role of gender and coaching styles in adolescent student-athletes’ motivational orientations in sport and school

AbstractResearch indicates that the dominant discourses of gender are ingrained in dual career (DC) practices critically influencing athletes’ motivation to construct a DC pathway. While it is important to ensure that all athletes have an equal access to construct a DC pathway despite their gender, there is a gap in the literature examining the role that coaches play in gendering of athletes’ DC pathways. The present study longitudinally examined the gender differences in student-athletes’ motivational orientations in sport and academics throughout high school and the role of coaching style in these orientations. The gender differences in coaching styles in terms of student-athletes’ gender…

"Oli vahinko, et kaikki onnistu niin hyvin. Urheilulukio oli täydellinen urheilijan polku mulle." : hiihtäjien kokemuksia 2000-luvun urheilulukioista

Milla Saarinen (2016). ”Oli vahinko, et kaikki onnistu niin hyvin. Urheilulukio oli täydellinen urheilijan polku mulle.” Hiihtäjien kokemuksia 2000-luvun urheilulukiosta. Pro gradu-tutkielma. Liikuntakasvatuksen laitos, liikuntapedagogiikka. Jyväskylän yliopisto, 132 s. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia hiihtäjien kokemuksia urheilulukion käymisestä, siellä opiskelemisesta ja urheilemisesta. Tavoitteena oli myös selvittää, miten urheilulukioiden toi-mintaa voisi kehittää entistä paremmaksi. Tutkimus toteutettiin fenomenologis-hermeneuttisena haastattelututkimuksena. Koehenkilöinä tutkimuksessa oli 23 urheilulukion käynyttä hiihtäjää ympäri Suomen. Hiihtäjät olivat tasoltaan kaikki vähint…