A phenomenological exploration of the recruitment experiences of Division III student-athletes by head coach and student-athlete gender

Abstract

ABSTRACT The recruitment experiences of Division III student-athletes were explored using a transcendental phenomenological design. Four freshman student-athletes, participating in different sports for various universities within unique athletic conferences, were interviewed for the study; their parents served as informants. To investigate the role of gender within the recruitment process, four athlete-parent dyads were created based on genders of head coaches (HCs) and student-athletes. Taxonomic analysis was performed to investigate HC recruitment behaviors within and across all dyads, following coding and phenomenological reduction. Student-athletes encountered three common HC behaviors during their recruitment: influence tactics, relationship development, and gateway tactics. Cross-dyad taxonomic analysis revealed HC gender differences for behaviors leveraged in student-athlete recruitment processes. The methodology of the study integrated recruitment experiences from student-athlete and parent perspectives, providing practitioners at the Division III level with considerations for recruiting student-athletes and scholars with a foundation to explore athletic recruitment behaviors and their gendered nature.