Trends in Career Counseling Research in Korean Sports Discipline

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the existing studies related to career counseling in the Korean sports discipline and tried to understand the current situation. Methods For this purpose, 17 articles related to career counseling in the domestic sports discipline published in registration sites and candidate registration sites by April 2023 were analyzed by dividing them into four criteria: number of articles by period, research subjects, theme, and methods. In addition, the contents of the program structure developed in each program development research were analyzed. Results The main results were as follows. First, it was confirmed that the number of related studies has increased since 2016. Second, the classification of subjects by school grade revealed that the most significant number of studies targeted adults, while sort of athletes revealed that the most significant number of studies targeted non-athletes such as physical education teachers and career counselors. Third, as a result of dividing research themes into three categories: ‘career education and career counseling’, ‘career counseling program development’, and ‘career change’, it was confirmed that the number of studies increased continuously over time. Fourth, Qualitative researches were the most frequently analyzed results by methods. Fifth, an analysis of the contents of the program structure developed in each program development research showed that all programs included self-understanding and exploration of careers, and most of the program subjects were retired athletes. Conclusions Based on the results of this study, it was found that research related to careers in the domestic sports world is still insufficient in quantity, but it is increasing. It is expected that there will be more related studies in the future, and it is necessary to expand the research subjects and methods, such as research focusing on athletes in high school and active athletes, when career education is the most appropriate period.