Engaging in Faculty Mentored Research with StudentAthletes: A Successful Case at the University of North Carolina Wilmington

Abstract

The demands placed upon student-athletes are well documented and include balancing academic and athletic responsibilities, negotiating multiple personal relationships, upkeeping physical and mental health, and succeeding academically, among others (e.g., Broughton & Neyer, 2001; Comeaux & Harrison, 2011; Gould & Whitley, 2009; Horton, 2011; Melendez, 2006; Ting, 2009). Student athletes are often appropriately characterized as overworked with more commitments to balance than their non-athlete student peers (e.g., Gould & Whitley, 2009). The demands placed upon student-athletes serve as barriers to access to opportunities available to their peers, particularly high impact practices (HIPs) like internships, research opportunities, and study abroad experiences (Ishaq & Bass, 2019). Ishaq and Bass found many specific barriers to accessing HIPs in their research on student-athletes, notably time commitments, coaches’ attitudes, lack of funding, and institutional structures.