Female and male student athletes' perceptions of career transition in sport and higher education: a visual elicitation and qualitative assessment

The termination of a collegiate athletic career is inevitable for all student athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore student athletes’ perceptions of the athletic career transition process. One-hundred-andforty- three (n = 143) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II student athletes were administered the Life After Sports Scale (LASS) designed by the authors. The LASS is a 58-item mixed method inventory. The scope of this inquiry explored the qualitative section, which examined participants’ perceptions that were visually primed with a narrative description of a student athlete who made the transition out of collegiate sport successfully. Three major themes emerged from the participants’ responses: Career Path Well Planned, Balancing Academics and Athletics, and Positive Role Model. These themes are discussed in relation to the contextual approach used to explore human enactment in life and career.