Negotiating a transnational career around borders: Women's stories in boundaryless academia

The study aimed to give voice to two women sport scientists’ life stories to centralize the challenges and ways of coping their career journeys entailed, and enlighten our understanding of the lived experience and meaning of academic migrating. They shared transnational career stories through interviews and ongoing conversations which we re-story in a creative non-fiction story where we blended the two. Our data collection, analysis and representation were informed by theoretical, methodological and interpretive bricolage. As the creative nonfiction story shows, the academic entrepreneur ideal was somewhat disrupted in the women’s lives, as migration experiences, aside from thrills, also involved rough and complex negotiations and challenges. However, the experiences and lessons learned from migration experiences informed subsequent decisions and relocations while work and home became a state of mind and a sense of comfort for the two women who relentlessly swapped priorities between home and work. We identified three strategies – negotiating, redirecting, and accepting – that the women applied to their home and work life while trying to stay true to themselves and their values. The literature on transnationalism and academics as mobilised professionals helped us bring to light ‘silenced’ elements of the academic narrative as forms of women’s professional development in sport sciences that are not part of ‘official’ narratives of career-building were uncovered.publishedVersio

Sport burnout inventory–dual career form for student-athletes : Assessing validity and reliability in a Finnish sample of adolescent athletes

Background: The pressure of pursuing an athletic career simultaneously with education may set adolescent student-athletes at risk for sport and school burnout. Although the 2 life domains of student-athletes are strongly intertwined, so far, there has not been an instrument for investigating sport burnout parallel to school burnout. The aim of the present study was to introduce a sport burnout measure for adolescents in a dual career context and investigate its validity and reliability by using confirmatory factor analysis. Methods: The participants were 391 student-athletes (51% females) who filled in a questionnaire of sport burnout and background variables in the beginning of upper secondary school. Results: A 3-factor model or a second-order-factor model described the data better and gave better reliability indices than a 1-factor model. The 3 dimensions of sport burnout were shown to be separate, but closely related constructs. Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was obtained by correlating the 3 sport burnout dimensions with depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and sport task values. Conclusion: The results suggest that Sport Burnout Inventory-Dual Career Form (SpBI-DC) is a valid and reliable instrument for investigating sport burnout among adolescent student-athletes.Peer reviewe

A critical review of career research and assistance through the cultural lens: towards cultural praxis of athletes’ careers

In this review article, a content area of athlete career in sport psychology is analyzed through the cultural lens: that is, through paradigmatic perspectives of cross-cultural psychology, cultural psychology, and cultural studies. Based on previous review papers, but mainly on the chapters of the anthology Athletes' Careers across Cultures, we identified three dominant (North American, Australian, and European) and two emerging (Asian and South American) cultural discourses in the career topic. These discourses are characterized by research foci, theoretical frameworks, and career assistance programs in action. Our critical analysis of career research and assistance around the world further indicates a need for more contextualized and culturally competent career projects, which blend theory/research, applied work, and lived culture into cultural praxis. To satisfy this need, a new paradigm termed cultural praxis of athletes' careers is suggested. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of review papers in negotiating emerging terminology, values, principles, and approaches underlying the career topic, and share some ideas for future reviews in career research and assistance

Existential learning and adolescent identity: Finding meaning through boundary situations

Existential psychology places emphasis on boundary situations as a potential source of learning and development. These experiences are situations when one’s identity does not fit the new demands and experiences, bringing forth existential insecurity and often leading to a more profound change in one’s mode of being. Our study aimed to understand identity learning through boundary experiences in adolescence through the story of “Pilvi”, a pre-elite Finnish alpine skier who terminated her promising athletic career at the age of 18. She was interviewed using a low-structured approach, twice before and twice after her athletic retirement. We analysed her story using existential-narrative approach (Richert, 2010) with a focus on boundary situations and loss of athletic identity. A pivotal moment for Pilvi was the introduction of new skis that she could not adjust to, shattering her athletic identity that gained meaning from athletic success. The disruption also revealed the loneliness of her sport life-project underpinned by a lack of shared meaning with her father, teammates and coach. After abandoning her sport life-project and experiencing a personal crisis, she reflected on learning about her emotions, accepting her limitations and “wasting time” in sport; however, she also sought to transfer her sport life themes of success and winning to education to bring continuity to her identity. The tension with her father shaped her storytelling throughout the interviews. We discuss the implications of our findings for psychological and career counselling services for talented adolescents

‘School, family and then hockey!’ Coaches’ views on dual career in ice hockey

Despite the extensive research into coaches’ roles in supporting athletic development and motivation for sport, few studies have examined coaches’ attitudes and practices towards athletes’ dual careers. The present study extends European research into athletes’ dual careers by examining Finnish ice hockey coaches’ attitudes and practices surrounding players’ education. Ten male coaches aged 27–52 participated in semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed with an existential-narrative theoretical framework and with thematic and structural narrative analysis. Three composite vignettes were created entitled ‘supporting athletic development and players in reaching their own goals’, ‘enjoyment and physically active lifestyle’ and ‘developing good persons’. The analysis revealed that although all coaches embraced the official rhetoric where school is a priority over ice hockey, most of them had few practical examples of how this view had informed their coaching practice. It is concluded that young players may be easily lured into dreams of professionalism, whereas coaches’ dominant narrative of education as a back-up may be ineffective to spark athletes’ interest and engagement with education. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017

Девочки чаще учатся на спортивных сборах по сравнению с мальчиками: роль тренера в гендерном разделении двух карьерных путей спортсменов

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 21.01.2022.Received: 21.01.2022.В статье даются результаты исследования о роли тренера в мотивации спортсменов на построение двух карьер, а также их взглядов на двойную карьеру девушек и юношей. Результаты показали, что учащиеся-спортсмены в старших классах спортивных школ часто воспринимали созданный тренером мотивационный климат как нацеленный на достижение спортивного результата. Опрошенные спортсмены объяснили, что такой подход не мотивировал их на учебный процесс, а скорее обесценивал их образовательные цели. Выявлено, что тренеры, хотя и подчеркивали важность получения спортсменами среднего образования, не могли обосновать, как данные идеи включены в тренерскую практику. Тренеры согласились с тем, что те спортсмены, которые переходят в элитный спорт, должны сосредоточиться на развитии своей спортивной карьеры, при этом требования элитного спорта и высшего образования часто считались как несовместимые. Результаты показали, что стили коучинга играют важную роль в поддержке мотивации спортсменов к достижению целей двух карьер.The article presents the results of a study on the role of a coach in motivating athletes to build two careers, as well as their coaches’ views on the dual careers of girls and boys. The results have showed that student-athletes in high school of sports schools often perceived the motivational climate created by the coach as a process aimed at achieving sports results. The interviewed athletes explained that this approach did not motivate them to the learning process, and moreover, devalued their educational goals. It was revealed that although the coaches emphasized the importance of receiving secondary education for athletes, they could not justify how these ideas were included in coaching practice. The coaches have agreed that those athletes who switch to elite sports should focus on developing their sports career, while the requirements of elite sports and higher education were often considered incompatible. The results have showed that coaching styles play an important role in supporting the motivation of athletes to achieve the goals of two careers

Подростки-спортсмены строят двойную карьеру и благополучие в условиях двойного карьерного роста: роль факторов окружающей среды

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 20.12.2021.Received: 20.12.2021.Цель исследования заключалась в изучении карьерного роста и благополучия спортсменов-подростков в условиях двойного карьерного роста. В исследовании выявлены особенности адаптивности к карьере в старших классах спортивной школы. В статье представлены данные относительно того, в какой степени самооценка и пол связаны с адаптивностью к двойной карьере, определены профили адаптации к карьере спортсменов-подростков, выявлены как ожидания студентов-спортсменов в зависимости от их успехов в спорте и учебе и соответствующие ожидания их родителей связаны с их профилями адаптации к карьере. Получены новые данные относительно того, как организационная культура спортивной школы влияет на построение карьеры спортсменов-подростков.The purpose of the scientific research was to study the career growth and well-being of adolescent athletes in conditions of dual career growth. The study revealed the features of adaptability to a career in high school of sports school. The article presents data on the extent to which self-esteem and gender are associated with adaptability to a dual career, the profiles of adaptation to the career of adolescent athletes have been defined, it is also revealed how the expectations of student-athletes depending on their success in sports and studies and the corresponding expectations of their parents are associated with their profiles of adaptation to a career. The new data on how the organizational culture of a sports school affects the career development of teenage athletes have been obtained

Состояния настроения студентов-спортсменов: профили развития, предпосылки и последствия

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 14.01.2022.Received: 14.01.2022.Цель исследования заключается в получении информации о психическом здоровье молодых финских спортсменов старшего школьного возраста с точки зрения профилей состояний настроения. Было описано шесть разных профилей. Общий показатель настроения был выше у женщин, чем у мужчин. Энергетический индекс был самым высоким у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта и самым низким у мужчин в командных видах спорта. У женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта он был ниже, чем у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта, и выше в командных видах спорта, чем у мужчин. Он был выше у женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта, чем у женщин в командных видах спорта.The aim of the study is to obtain information about the mental health of young Finnish athletes of high school age in terms of mood state profiles. Six different profiles were described. The overall mood score of women was higher than of men. The energy index was the highest for the men in individual sports and the lowest one was for the men in team sports. For the women in individual sports, it was lower than for men in individual sports. For the women in team sports it was higher than for men in team sports. The energy index was higher for women in individual sports than for women in team sports