Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Higher & Adult Education

Committee Chair

Edith Gnanadass

Committee Member

Ronald Platt

Committee Member

Alison Happel-Parkins

Committee Member

Adam Walker

Abstract

There are several theoretical models and approaches to define the leadership identity development of college students, however, none of these models adequately frame the specific leadership identity development of collegiate student athletes. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to develop a leadership model to address this gap by explaining the leadership values and behaviors unique to student athletes and to understand if their leadership experiences occur in a staged, scaffolded way. The research questions guiding this study are: What are the staged, scaffolded leadership identity development experiences of collegiate student athletes? What are the common leadership values and behaviors of collegiate student athletes and how are they practiced? These questions were explored using Constructivist Grounded Theory, three contemporary leadership theories, and theories of social and situated learning. Data collection for this study included intensive interviews, photo-elicitation, and practice observations of 12 nominated student athlete leaders across 7 NCAA Division-1 sports at a mid-size, mid-south public university. The findings of this study illuminate that collegiate student athletes do not experience leadership in staged, scaffolded ways. Instead, they experience leadership through a specific set of leadership values and behaviors that are uniquely cultivated in the context of sport. Additionally, this study found that the common leadership values of collegiate athletes are self-awareness, meaningful relationships, selfless commitment, growth mindset and competitive purpose. These are practiced through the leadership behaviors of student athlete integrity, modeling, influence, communication, trust, unity, sacrifice, resilience, work ethic, and discipline. The findings of this study are presented in a proposed Student Leadership Identity Development Model that provides a resource to practitioners and professionals to better support this population on our college campuses. These findings are significant as they can help to more intentionally reframe and retrain the entire student athlete leadership experience as it relates to team culture, leadership roles, and formal and informal leadership learning experiences. The model produced through this study not only fills an existing research gap, it can also be applied to curricular, co-curricular, and sport-based programs on college campuses to enhance the leadership experiences of collegiate student athletes during and after college.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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