An Investigation of the Generalizability of Buoyancy from Academics to Athletics

Abstract

Buoyancy, the ability of an individual to handle everyday setbacks, has been applied successfully to academics, and has implications for performance and well-being. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the concept of buoyancy can be successfully applied to the domain of sports (i.e., athletic buoyancy). This study sought to examine the relationship between academic and athletic buoyancy, as well as the efficacy of five sport-oriented predictors (5Cs), confidence, coordination (planning), commitment, composure (anxiety), and control, on both athletic and academic buoyancy. Sport club athletes (N = 285) aged 18 to 31 years completed a one-time survey assessing their athletic and academic buoyancy, as well as each of the sport-oriented 5Cs. Internal consistency of each subscale was examined with Cronbach’s alpha estimates. Correlations and multiple linear regressions examined the relationship between academic and athletic buoyancy and the predictive utility of the 5Cs on athletic and academic buoyancy. Results indicated that each subscale showed moderate internal consistency (all Cronbach’s alphas > .70), and that academic and athletic buoyancy were moderately correlated (r = .51, p < .001). The 5Cs model accounted for 26% of the variance in athletic buoyancy (F(5,277) = 19.00, p < .001, R2 = .26). Composure was a significant predictor in the model (β = .42, p < .001), while the other 5Cs were not: confidence ( = .12, p = .53), commitment ( = .11, p = .06), control ( = -.10, p = .08), and coordination ( = .09, p = .12). The sport-oriented 5Cs also significantly predicted 15% of variance in academic buoyancy, (F(5,276) = 10.03, p <.001), R2 = .15. Confidence ( = .18, p < .01) and composure ( = .27, p < .001) were significant predictors in the second model. These results indicate the potential for the construct of buoyancy to be generalized from academics to athletics, and that a multidimensional buoyancy structure may be possible. Competitive sport anxiety negatively affects both academic and athletic buoyancy, though the predictive influence varied by domain. These findings set the stage for the development of a comprehensive model of multidimensional buoyancy.