Abstract
Over 16,000 international student-athletes competed at National Collegiate Athletic Association schools during the 2006-07 school year (NCAA, 2008). Many of these students came to the United States with far different sporting backgrounds than their United States-born counterparts, shaping their perspectives of high-level university sport competition. The purpose of this study was to examine differences among domestic and international NCAA Division I student-athletes’ views of the purpose of collegiate sport. Responses to a Purpose of Sport Questionnaire for 174 international student-athletes from 49 different countries were compared to those from 110 United States-born student-athletes. A statistical test of MANOVA revealed international student-athletes rated the competition aspect of the purpose of college sports significantly lower than domestic student-athletes. Utilizing a second MANOVA, comparisons were made between student-athletes from different geographical regions. Student-athletes from Western European nations rated good citizenship as a purpose of collegiate sport significantly lower than student-athletes from Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and the United States.
Recommended Citation
Popp, Nels; Hums, Mary A.; and Greenwell, T. Christopher
(2009)
"Do International Student-Athletes View the Purpose of Sport Differently than United States Student-Athletes at NCAA Division I Universities?,"
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/jiia/vol2/iss1/7