Exploring the lived academic and social experiences of female student-athletes who graduated from Texas community colleges

Abstract

Community colleges play an essential role in providing student-athletes with the opportunity to continue to pursue athletics and go to college. Community college student-athletes’ experiences, specifically those of female student-athletes, are critical to examine. Female student-athletes have unique academic and social experiences that can influence their retention and degree completion. The purpose of the study was to investigate the lived academic and social experiences of female student-athletes at Texas community colleges. The study aimed to explore the experiences that contributed to their successful attainment of an associate degree. This study was designed to add to the existing literature on female student-athletes and provide important information to aid in designing best practices for the retention and persistence of female student-athletes. The methodology chosen for this study was a phenomenological design consisting of semistructured interviews with female student-athletes from Texas community colleges. The research findings were organized into the following themes from the study: (a) Classroom Champions, (b) Campus Belonging, (c) Athletic Family, (d) Faculty Role, (e) Value of the Associate’s Degree, and (f) Overcoming Challenges. The findings indicated that community colleges are an important option for female student-athletes to continue participating in athletics and attend college. The participants reported having positive relationships with coaches, teammates, other athletes, and faculty. These relationships positively influenced their social and academic experiences, which helped the participants integrate into the college and obtain an associate degree.