University of SaskatchewanHARVEST
  • Login
  • Submit Your Work
  • About
    • About HARVEST
    • Guidelines
    • Browse
      • All of HARVEST
      • Communities & Collections
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
      • This Collection
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
    • My Account
      • Login
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
      View Item 
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item

      “IT’S A BIG ADJUSTMENT COMING FROM THE RESERVE TO LIVING IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SOCIETY”: EXPLORING THE WELL-BEING OF FIRST NATIONS ATHLETES PLAYING SPORT IN AN URBAN MAINSTREAM CONTEXT

      Thumbnail
      View/Open
      JOHNSON-THESIS-2018.pdf (1.459Mb)
      Date
      2019-01-23
      Author
      Johnson, Shara Rasheda 1981-
      ORCID
      0000-0003-1280-8229
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
      Show full item record
      Abstract
      Indigenous athletes who are interested in pursuing sport at elite levels and seeking broader opportunities in Canada often relocate from their home communities to urban “mainstream” centres. Their reasons for relocating may include seeking elite facilities and coaching expertise as well as accessing more competitive sport environments. Adjusting to a mainstream context may involve navigating challenges such as racism and discrimination, isolation from family, friends, and community, and a dismissed cultural identity. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological well-being and multicultural adjustment experiences of Indigenous athletes who relocated to pursue sport in mainstream context. The experiences of two Indigenous female athletes who relocated from a rural First Nations community to pursue hockey in an urban centre were explored using a qualitative case study. Grounded in an Indigenous research framework, culturally relevant methods of conversational group interviews and photovoice reflections were adopted to hear stories from six participants: the two athletes, the athletes’ parents, and the athletes’ billets. A mixed method approach was used to analyze the data which included thematic analysis, presenting story, and present self-in-relations. Five main categories were created to explain how the athletes adjusted and strove to flourish in their new environment including: (1) Having an interconnected web of support; (2) Managing emotional challenges; (3) Being comfortable in the new environment; (4) Progressing while dealing with setbacks; and, (5) Maintaining a cultural connection to their home community. These findings suggest that Indigenous athletes who relocate from their home communities require a robust support network and nurturing environment to flourish in an urban mainstream context. Further collaborative research is needed to develop and implement initiatives that would facilitate the factors identified as critical to the well-being of Indigenous athletes when they relocate.
      Degree
      Master of Science (M.Sc.)
      Department
      Kinesiology
      Program
      Kinesiology
      Supervisor
      Ferguson, Leah J
      Committee
      Poudrier, Jennifer; Foulds, Heather J; Androsoff, Ashleigh
      Copyright Date
      December 2018
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/11811
      Subject
      psychological flourishing, Indigenous athletes, cultural adaptation, mainstream sports, psychological well-being
      Collections
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      University of Saskatchewan

      University Library

      © University of Saskatchewan
      Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy