Pressures to perform : An interview study of Australian highperformance school-age athletes-perceptions of balancing their school and sporting lives

Journal article


O'Neill, Maureen M., Allen, Bill and Calder, Angela M.. (2013). Pressures to perform : An interview study of Australian highperformance school-age athletes-perceptions of balancing their school and sporting lives. Performance Enhancement & Health. 2(3), pp. 87-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2013.06.001
AuthorsO'Neill, Maureen M., Allen, Bill and Calder, Angela M.
Abstract

High performance school-age athletes struggle to balance the demands of their sporting and educational roles. They are like “hyphenated” individuals striving to deal with more than one life. This investigation examines the views of talented athletes who are full-time school students to elicit their perspectives of how they deal with the pressures to perform in these two different arenas. Previous published research on this topic has not included athletes’ views or “given voice” to school-age high performance athletes’ perceptions of how they balance two full-time lives. This study incorporated a cross-sectional design using qualitative techniques in an interpretivist paradigm. Data collection was through interviews using Livescribe™ pen. NVivo 9.2™ was used to analyse interviews from nine current and 10 former school-age high performance athletes (n = 19) across a range of sports. Findings were categorised into five themes: physical, social, educational, psychological and economic issues. In particular participants in this study identified specific problems they experienced with physical and social issues of: tiredness, nutritional awareness, procrastination, and personal sacrifices. All participants indicated they wanted to pursue both their education and sport, reinforcing the Elementtheoretical construct that doing both connects their sense of identity, purpose and well-being. Implications for policy and practice in schools and in sports are discussed with a view to identifying the characteristics that define an ‘athlete friendly school’. Research findings from this study also provide suggestions about how these young athletes, their parents, and teachers can optimise the dual-demands and pressures on these athletes’ lives.

Keywordsschool-age athlete; high performance sport; perceptions; pressures; dual life; Australian
Year2013
JournalPerformance Enhancement & Health
Journal citation2 (3), pp. 87-93
PublisherElsevier
ISSN2211-2669
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2013.06.001
Scopus EID2-s2.0-84887816623
Open accessPublished as green open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range87-93
Research GroupSchool of Education
Author's accepted manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Place of publicationThe Netherlands
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/89z06/pressures-to-perform-an-interview-study-of-australian-highperformance-school-age-athletes-perceptions-of-balancing-their-school-and-sporting-lives

Download files


Author's accepted manuscript
AM_ONeill_2013_Pressures_to_perform_an_interview_study.pdf
License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
File access level: Open

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 208
    total views
  • 909
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 3
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Advance care planning in the context of clinical deterioration : A systematic review of the literature
Pearse, Wendy, Oprescu, Florin, Endacott, John, Goodman, Sarah, Hyde, Mervyn and O’Neill, Maureen. (2019). Advance care planning in the context of clinical deterioration : A systematic review of the literature. Palliative Care: Research and Treatment. 12, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178224218823509
First year allied health student transition to a regional university
Gray, Marion, Gordon, Susan, O'Neill, Maureen and Pearce, Wendy M.. (2019). First year allied health student transition to a regional university. Australian Journal of Rural Health. 27(6), pp. 497 - 504. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12581
Teacher reform in Indonesia : Can offshore programs create lasting pedagogical shift?
Allen, William, Hyde, Mervyn, Whannel, Robert and O’Neill, Maureen. (2018). Teacher reform in Indonesia : Can offshore programs create lasting pedagogical shift? Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 46(1), pp. 22-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2017.1355051
Using nvivo™ for literature reviews: The eight step pedagogy (N7+1)
O'Neill, Maureen M., Booth, Sarah R. and Lamb, Janeen Therese. (2018). Using nvivo™ for literature reviews: The eight step pedagogy (N7+1). Qualitative Report: an online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990. 23(13), pp. 21 - 39.
Using NVivo for literature reviews: the eight step pedagogy (N7+1)
O'Neill, Maureen, Booth, Sarah R. and Lamb, Janeen. (2018). Using NVivo for literature reviews: the eight step pedagogy (N7+1). Qualitative Report: an online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990. 23(13), pp. 21 - 39.
The identity of Catholic schools as seen by teachers in Catholic schools in Queensland
Gleeson, Jim, O'Gorman, John and O'Neill, Maureen. (2018). The identity of Catholic schools as seen by teachers in Catholic schools in Queensland. International Studies in Catholic Education. 10(1), pp. 44 - 65. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2018.1418946
Student-teachers’ perspectives on the purposes and characteristics of faith-based schools: An Australian view
Gleeson, Jim and O'Neill, Maureen. (2018). Student-teachers’ perspectives on the purposes and characteristics of faith-based schools: An Australian view. British Journal of Religious Education. 40(1), pp. 55 - 69. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2016.1256266
Student-athletes in my classroom: Australian teachers' perspectives of the problems faced by student-athletes balancing school and sport
O'Neill, Maureen, Calder, Angela M. and Hinz, Beverley. (2017). Student-athletes in my classroom: Australian teachers' perspectives of the problems faced by student-athletes balancing school and sport. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. 42(9), pp. 160 - 178. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n9.10
Curriculum, culture, and Catholic education: a Queensland perspective
Gleeson, Jim and O'Neill, Maureen. (2017). Curriculum, culture, and Catholic education: a Queensland perspective. Curriculum Perspectives. 37(2), pp. 121 - 133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-017-0018-6
Student Teachers’ Opinions, Beliefs and Attitudes Concerning Faith-based Education and Identity
Gleeson, Jim and O'Neill, Maureen. (2015). Student Teachers’ Opinions, Beliefs and Attitudes Concerning Faith-based Education and Identity Brisbane, Queensland: Australian Catholic University.
Tall Poppies : Bullying behaviours faced by Australian high performance school-age athlete
O'Neill, Maureen, Calder, Angela and Allen, Bill. (2014). Tall Poppies : Bullying behaviours faced by Australian high performance school-age athlete. Journal of School Violence. 13(2), pp. 210-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.846223
The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment) BYOx research project 2013
State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment), , O'Neill, Maureen M. and State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment). (2013). The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment) BYOx research project 2013 Australia: State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment).
The Nvivo Toolkit: How to apply Nvivo in your PhD for research and publishing success
O'Neill, Maureen M.. (2013). The Nvivo Toolkit: How to apply Nvivo in your PhD for research and publishing success QSR International Pty Ltd.
The NVivo toolkit- how to apply NVivo in your PhD for research and publishing success
O'Neill, Maureen. (2013). The NVivo toolkit- how to apply NVivo in your PhD for research and publishing success Australia: QSR International.
High performance school-age athletes: A study of conflicting demands
O'Neill, Maureen, Allen, B. and Calder, A.. (2012). High performance school-age athletes: A study of conflicting demands. Australia: Elsevier Australia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.376