Employing self-determination theory to examine the sport experiences of athletes who did and did not complete their collegiate athletic eligibility

Abstract

Little research examines why collegiate Division I student-athletes decide to end their sport careers early. If athletes who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to complete their college athletic eligibility, and athletes who complete their college athletic eligibility are more likely to graduate from college, it would follow that the NCAA would be invested in understanding how to foster intrinsic motivation among all their athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine athletes’ sport experiences using SDT as a framework to consider their perceptions of the extent that they felt autonomy, competence, and relatedness during their sport experiences. The responses of athletes who completed their sport eligibility were contrasted with those who did not complete their eligibility. Pairs of athletes (N=18) were matched up by sport, year played, team, gender, and include one who completed eligibility and the other who did not. A qualitative design was employed whereby athletes were interviewed and a thematic analysis was conducted to examine overarching themes. Athletes who completed their collegiate eligibility were much more likely to have their BPN met than those who ended their collegiate careers prematurely. Results suggest that coaches should strive to meet the BPN of athletes to help them maximize their college sport careers.