RECONCEPTUALIZING FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE REPRESENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the number of international students in the classroom of Canadian universities; however, this is not reflected in all aspects of the Canadian post-secondary education experience, specifically in intercollegiate sports (Grbac, 2014). To date, only a few studies have focused on International Student-Athletes (ISAs) in Canada. The purpose of the study was to uncover the factors influencing international students’ participation in intercollegiate sports. The research design selected to explore this research was a qualitative case study. This research was guided by the Leisure Constraints Theory (Crawford & Godbey, 1987) and Motivational theories (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002; Pederson, 2002; Wilkins et al., 2012). This case study employed two methods of data collection: face to face semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion. The data gathered from the participants were analyzed and broken down into four overarching themes: Perceptions, Motivations, Benefits, and Challenges. The results of the study imply that while international students might be motivated to participate in intercollegiate sports, there are several structural constraints to participants as well as other factors that could contribute to their limited participation. This study restates the need for more research on international students, specifically ISAs, to gain a better understanding of the rationale behind their decisions to come to Canada. Some areas that should be researched are the level of awareness of international students to intercollegiate sporting opportunities, potential challenges may face, and the impacts of perceived bias and discrimination. The study also provides intercollegiate scholars, university athletic departments with recommendations for improving delivery, relationships with international students, and how to diversify of university student-athletes population.