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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate three propositions: (a) What are the participation issues most pertinent to interscholastic athletic administrators? (b) What is the perceived level of importance of these participation issues to athletic administrators? and (c) What are the potential implications of those pertinent participation issues to practicing athletic administrators? A national study was conducted with athletic directors (n = 170) from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association annual conference. Athletic directors completed a survey to identify and then rank in terms of importance issues that they face on a daily basis. The 14 issues identified as most important were framed within five categories: Education Base Athletic Programs, Recruitment, Specialization, and Student-Athletes. A one-tailed ANOVA was executed to determine significant differences based on geographical region among these participation issues. Following the quantitative survey, follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to further delve into the most important issues. The results offer insight from which further investigations could be conducted to continue building on policies that influence interscholastic administrators’ day-to-day accountability when overseeing their programs.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 This manuscript only focuses on 14 pertinent issues labeled under the Participation and Specialization categories.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Michael Fraina
Michael Fraina is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Farmingdale State College. His research interests include youth and amateur sport, mentoring, and psychology.
Eric W. Forsyth
Eric W. Forsyth is a Full Professor of Sport Management at Bemidji State University. His research interests involve interscholastic sports and sport branding.
Warren A. Whisenant
Warren A. Whisenant is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences at the University of Miami. His research has focused on gender and organizational issues within interscholastic athletics.
James E. Johnson
James E. Johnson is a Professor of Sport Administration and Coordinator of the Sport Administration Graduate Program at Ball State University. His research addresses administrative issues in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics.