Collegiate Athletes’ Motivation in Their Dual Roles: A Mixed-Method Comparison Across NCAA Divisions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/jas.v12i1.23214Abstract
This study investigates the motivations of NCAA Division I, II, and III collegiate athletes (CAs) towards academics and athletics, while also exploring their transition out of sport plans. Using a sequential mixed-method design, the research involved 457 CAs in the quantitative phase and 13 participants in the qualitative phase. Quantitative findings revealed significant differences in academic and athletic motivations between Division I and III, and Division II and III athletes. Qualitative analysis identified three themes: 1) Self-Determination Theory: Emphasis on Motivational Components, 2) Career Planning and Goals for Transitioning Out of Sport, and 3) Impact of COVID-19. The themes the motivational continuum of CAs’ athletic and academic careers, emphasized how motivation influenced their transition out of sport experiences, and connected with the impact of COVID-19.This study aims to inform educators, coaches, administrators, and researchers involved in college athletics, addressing a gap in the literature by including DII and DIII CA populations and comparing motivations across all three NCAA divisions.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jeongwon Choi, Allison Smith, Luke Mao, Amanda Paule-Koba, Todd Seidler
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC-ND) License
1. License. You retain the copyright for your work. You here by grant to us a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable license to:
• Reproduce, distribute and display the edited manuscript in the Journal of Amateur Sport (and other publications prepared by us or on our behalf) in any media now or hereafter known (including without limitation electronic publications such as the Internet, Google Scholar, and social media)
We do not restrict your distribution or use of the manuscript following publication in the Journal of Amateur Sport (in fact, we encourage it!). However, we have the right to publish the manuscript first on the journal website. Thus, the foregoing licenses are exclusive to us prior to our publication of the manuscript. You confirm that you have disclosed to us all previous or pending public disseminations of the manuscript, including without limitation any publications or acceptances by other journals or disseminations via websites or conference proceedings.
2. Other Confirmations. You confirm that you are the manuscripts sole author(s); you have the right to convey the foregoing licenses; the manuscript does not infringe any third party copyright, publicity/privacy right or other proprietary right; and the manuscript is not defamatory or otherwise unlawful. You shall defend and indemnify us against all claims based on any alleged breach of your confirmations in this contract.
Compensation: You will receive one (1) free copy (PDF) of the article published online in the Journal of Amateur Sport. You will receive no royalty or other monetary return from the Journal of Amateur Sport for use of the article. You do, however, have our extreme gratitude!
3. Entire Contract. This contract is the sole and exclusive agreement between the parties regarding the manuscript and supersedes all prior conversations and understandings regarding its subject matter. This contract may be modified or supplemented only by a mutually signed writing.
