Unpacking educational athletics: An exploratory study of high school athletic directors' critical praxis

Objectives: Given the salience and popularity of interscholastic athletics, whether high school sport serves as a site for inclusive, empowering experiences for youth participants has significant implications. This study examined how U.S. high school athletic directors think about and navigate (i.e., praxis) broader social issues in their work with student-athletes and coaches to promote youth development. Design: A cultural praxis framework informed qualitative study design consisting of semi-structured interviews with 16 athletic directors from various high school community contexts within one Midwestern state. Method: Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with high school athletic directors employed a semantic (explicit, surface level) and latent (implicit, interpretative) focus (Braun & Clarke, 2019; Braun, Clarke, & Weate, 2016). Results: Semantic analyses indicated that athletic directors used various strategies to navigate matters that arose in their work with student-athletes and coaches. Relevant issues were contextually situated and emerged as (in)congruent with their context. Latent analyses shed light on assumptions that ADs made about student athlete development and demonstrated that sport leaders' critical praxis varied along a continuum. Conclusion: Future research is needed to more systematically examine how athletic directors engage in a (critical) praxis; student-athletes' perspectives on the relevance of certain social issues and efficacy of administrators' praxis; and, developmental initiatives to empower youth and adult leaders in athletics.

Automated summary

This study examined how U.S. high school athletic directors navigate broader social issues in their work with student-athletes to promote youth development. Results indicated that athletic directors used various strategies to address issues and their critical praxis varied to some extent. Further research is needed to systematically examine athletic directors' engagement in critical praxis, student-athletes' perspectives on relevant social issues, and developmental initiatives in athletics.