A case study of the features and holistic athlete impacts of a UK sports-friendly school: Student-athlete, coach and teacher perspectives

Abstract

In order to understand the features of sport schools and their impacts on the holistic development of student-athletes, it is important to take into account the voice of multiple stakeholders central to the programmes (student-athletes, coaches, teachers). Through a case-study approach, using five focus groups, with 19 student-athletes, and six semi-structured interviews with three coaches and three dual coach and teachers, this study explored the perceived impacts of one sport-friendly school (pseudonym–“Salkeld High”) on holistic athlete development and the features that drove these impacts. Using a critical realist approach to thematic analysis, findings indicated a multitude of immediate, intermediate and long-term positive and negative impacts associated with academic/vocational (e.g., academic security vs. second/third choice university), athletic/physical (e.g., performance development vs. injuries), psychosocial (e.g., social skills vs. social scarifies) and psychological (e.g., sport confidence vs. performance pressure) development of “Salkeld High” student-athletes. Overall, “Salkeld High” was viewed as an integrated school environment for sport, academics, and boarding, where academic (e.g., extra-tutoring), athletic (e.g., high volume/frequency of training), and psychosocial/psychological (e.g., pastoral services) features are all in one location. The student-athletes tended to get a well-rounded, balanced holistic experience. However, the intensified and challenging nature of involvement did present some negative impacts that stakeholders should be aware of when designing, implementing, and evaluating sport-friendly school programmes. Furthermore, although “Salkeld High” was seen as an integrated environment within the school, it could do better at collaborating with wider sporting structures.

What is it like to be a sport school student-athlete? A mixed method evaluation of holistic impacts and experiences

“…Overall, in order to gain a comprehensive, holistic picture of what it is like to be a student-athlete at ‘Eden High’ and the impacts associated with the programme, five data collection methods were utilised: 1) online questionnaire, 2) physical fitness testing battery, 3) academic assessments grades, 4) injury data and 5) log diaries. The data collection methods were explicitly selected or designed to target key concerns regarding holistic athlete impacts outlined in the literature [ 28 , 29 ]. Table 1 presents an overview of how each data collection method is mapped to identify holistic impacts and experiences of ‘Eden High’.…”

“…Sport-friendly schools are integrated school environments for sport and education (and sometimes boarding), where educational classrooms, sports facilities and accommodation buildings are all in one location [ 28 ]. To accommodate holistic development, sport-friendly schools have numerous athletic (e.g., high-quality facilities and high volume/frequency of training), academic (e.g., extra tutoring, dedicated study hours, high academic workload) and psychosocial/psychological (e.g., pastoral services and support network) features [ 29 ].…”

“…Recently, Thompson et al [ 28 ] qualitatively explored the features of a sport-friendly school in the UK and their impact on the holistic development of student-athletes from the perspective of the student-athletes, coaches and teachers. The findings highlighted a wide range of potential impacts, but overall, the student-athletes tended to receive a well-rounded, balanced experience of sport, education and psychological/psychosocial development.…”

“…In order to ensure such “worth” it is necessary to carefully monitor a range of factors, including athlete wellbeing, academic / sport load, physical development, injury prevalence, psychosocial (e.g., life skill development), psychological (e.g., dual motivation) and educational factors (e.g., academic attainment) during athletes time at a sport-friendly school [ 29 ]. Whilst Thompson et al [ 28 ] offer an initial insight into the impacts experienced by athletes, these were based on the retrospective accounts of a subsample of all the student-athletes and staff within the sport-friendly school context. To progress our understanding, a more in-depth and in-time exploration of the various impacts and insights across a wider group of student-athletes is warranted.…”

Identifying the Gaps in the Service Quality of the University of Baguio Through the Lens of the Cardinals

“…The moment these student-athletes step into the university as official varsity players, their roles and responsibilities as both students and athletes will commence representing thousands of institute stakeholders while being tied to the legacy of those student-athletes who graduated before them. Worldwide, the term 'dual career' has been introduced to help aid the specific challenges elite youth athletes face in balancing sport and education (Commission EU.U, 2012) as mentioned in (Thompson et al, 2022. Thompson (2022, mentioned that there are also challenges associated with dual career pursuits such as increased demands, high stress levels, and the need for additional support.…”