This study utilized qualitative methods to examine the perceptions of twelve Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men\u27s head basketball coaches. The value of intercollegiate athletics, and the coach\u27s role as an educator were the subjects\u27 perceptions under inquiry. Using qualitative interviews as the data collection method, the researcher attempted to provide the coaches with a voice to express their experiences as the gatekeeper of the intercollegiate athletic experience. Coaches\u27 perceived that both the academic institution and the student-athlete were beneficiaries of the OUA intercollegiate athletic system. They also universally identified a commitment to fulfill a role as an educator to enhance this value to both their school and their players. Finally, the coaches identified the types of obstacles that exist within the OUA coaching environment, and potential solution\u27s to these problems. The discussion centres around the demonstrated uniqueness, complexity and diversity among the coaches with respect to the job that they performed, as well as in their philosophical approach to the educator role. A continuum representing the amount of personal responsibility assumed by each coach in their student-athletes\u27 educational endeavours was created by the researcher. The twelve coaches under study were represented by four levels identified within the central portion of the continuum, while a literature review identified two extremes that exist within the intercollegiate coaching profession. These findings further supported the use of qualitative methods as a reasonable and viable means of research protocol in coaching studies. The researcher then critically examined the implications of future directions intercollegiate athletics in Ontario may undertake, and the approaches that could be utilized to maintain the focus on the educational experience of the student-athlete.Dept. of Kinesiology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1998 .E42. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 39-02, page: 0333. Adviser: John Corlett. Thesis (M.H.K.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1998
