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

Abstract

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 of disempowering coaching climates due to coaches’ exclusive emphasis on athletic performance. It is concluded that the perception that obtaining an education is less important than sport may potentially decrease athletes’ motivation to pursue an academic track and thus challenge their exploration of future vocations outside the sporting context.