Conflicts among stakeholders regarding the new academic system in the Korea University Sport Federation

ABSTRACT

This study examined the conflicts of interest regarding the new student-athlete eligibility system (SES) among diverse stakeholders, including the collegiate sports governance, coaches, student-athletes and parents in the current Korea University Sport Federation (KUSF) system. The new academic regulation requires student-athletes from the KUSF member institutions to maintain an academic Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) on a 4.5 scale to be eligible to compete. This study investigated each stakeholder group’s specific viewpoints and positionalities towards the new academic regulation for student-athletes embedded in the sociopolitical and sociocultural phenomena in South Korea. A total of 25 participants from four different stakeholder groups consisting of (1) KUSF administrators, (2) college coaches, (3) student-athletes and (4) parents were interviewed regarding the conflicts of the SES. Grounded in critical conflict resolution theory and practice, this study indicated that the academic support system for student-athletes needs to be improved, respecting coaches’ job security, solving scheduling conflicts between academics and athletics as well as reducing the overemphasis on winning. Overall, this research provides a new insight into the formation process of conflicts among different conflicting groups in a new collegiate sports system and plausible conflict resolution agendas and their limitations.

KEYWORDS:

• Korea University Sport Federation
• student-athlete eligibility
• conflicts
• academic regulation
• college sports
• social justice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin H. Nam

Benjamin H. Nam is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research interests involve sociocultural studies in education and sport as well as globalisation of higher education and policy.

Deockki Hong

Deockki Hong is an assistant professor in the Physical Education programme at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches physical education pedagogy, and his research focus is on sociocultural aspects of physical education.

Racheal C. Marshall

Racheal Marshall is a Ph.D. candidate in Counsellor Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research is on career development, mindfulness and ethical counselling practice.

Jeongho Hong

Jeongho Hong is an invited professor in the Department of International Sports Studies at Dankook University. Her research interests involve sports policy in relation to holistic well-being of elite athletes and social justice in sport.