The Acculturation Experience of International National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes
| dc.contributor.author | Jean-Noel, Javan | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-04-21T20:20:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-04-21T20:20:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description.abstract | During the 2015-2016 academic year, over 17,000 international student-athletes representing around 180 countries competed in 24 different National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports (Hosick, 2010; NCAA, 2016b). These student-athletes must manage issues surrounding acculturation, adjustment to college life, and competition in elite athletics (Schinke, Yukelson, Bartolacci, Battochio, & Johnstone, 2011). International student-athletes must simultaneously contend with all these factors, which could each individually lead to one experiencing distress. Despite this risk, there is a paucity of research on the experience of NCAA foreign athletes acculturating in the U.S. This dissertation study will perform a qualitative content analysis research study that will seek to understand the acculturation experience of international NCAA athletes. Directed content analysis of semi-structured interviews will allow for a more granular approach to understanding the shared experiences of acculturating athletes (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The aim will be to understand foreign-born NCAA athletes' acculturation experience, expectations, challenges, successes, what helped, and what was lacking. Namely, this study will investigate the interaction between acculturation and athletic performance as well as investigate international student-athletes' perceptions of institutional support. Findings included common themes in the ISAs' adjustment to U.S. sports culture and demands (e.g., professional-like atmosphere, ISAs' adjustment to U.S. culture as a whole, the time needed for adjustment, the importance of relationships, influence of host community's effort and attitude about acculturation load, microaggressions, and availability and helpfulness of academic and international support services. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/3274 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher.institution | John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) | |
| dc.subject | "acculturation","international student athlete",''NCAA","microaggression","support" | |
| dc.title | The Acculturation Experience of International National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes | |
| dc.type | Dissertation | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) | |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Psychology |