An exploratory mixed-methods study on student-athletes' motivation for assessment in sport and academic settings

Abstract

Student-athletes in university undergo assessments in both sport and academic domains, which can encompass varying conceptions and outcomes related to assessment. However, questions on whether this ‘doubling up’ of assessments result in similar or different assessment-related outcomes, or whether assessments are conceived the same way across sport and academic contexts, are an omission in achievement research. This study sought to explore the experiences of Canadian student-athletes’ conceptions of assessment, perceptions of control, and emotions in sport and academia through an explanatory mixed-methods design. The study comprised 77 Canadian USports university athletes (M_age = 20.21) for the quantitative data, and 6 athletes partaking in focus group/individual interviews for the qualitative data. The quantitative findings revealed student-athletes reported higher conceptions of assessment as fun and irrelevant in sport compared to university, and greater emotions such as anger, helplessness, and relief in university compared to sport (p < .05). In the qualitative strand, three themes were identified for conceptions of assessment: function, discrete outcomes, broad consequences; three themes for perceptions of control: effort, preparation, and motivation; and three themes for emotions: anticipatory, retrospective, and relational. Mixed insights revealed the importance of assessment consequences, the natural motivation and effort for sport assessment, and the differences in positive and negative emotions between sport and academic domains. Recommendations are discussed for both postsecondary coaches and instructors to help improve sport and academic assessment in ways tailored to the student-athlete experience of assessment.

Keywords:

• Conceptions of assessment
• student-athletes
• mixed-methods
• perceived control
• emotions

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Sammy King Fai Hui
• Curriculum & Instruction
• The Education University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong
• Hong Kong

SUBJECTS:

• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education
• Sport and Exercise Science
• Education - Social Sciences

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data can be made available at request. Data and plan of analysis have been pre-registered on the Open Science Framework.

Notes

1 As this mixed-methods study unfolded, the research team deviated from the pre-registered plan in three important ways: (1) they recruited a smaller sample size (n = 77) than planned (n = 100); (2) they did not purposefully sample from the quantitative strand to conduct the qualitative analysis due to low response rates; (3) to manage schedules, they used a combination of focus groups and individual interviews. No changes were otherwise made to the pre-registered plan of analysis.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of a larger initiative to understand the assessment experience of individuals with exceptional circumstances (led by Dr. Lia Daniels). This work was supported by a Killam Cornerstone Grant awarded to the third author and the funding source had no other role other than financial support.

Notes on contributors

Patti C. Parker

Dr. Patti C. Parker (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Thompson Rivers University. Her research interests include motivation and psychosocial factors in education, sport, and health settings.

Lauren D. Goegan

Dr. Lauren D. Goegan (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in Educational Administration, Foundations, and Psychology at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests include the transition to and successful completion of postsecondary education, often using a motivation theoretical lens in her work.

Lia M. Daniels

Dr. Lia M. Daniels (PhD) is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. Her research interests focus on student and teacher motivation and emotions across all levels of schooling with the intention of creating supportive learning environments.