Project summary
In recent years, researchers and practitioners have paid increasing attention to understanding how the life skills (e.g., leadership, emotional regulation) learned in sport can transfer and be applied beyond sport. The overall purpose of this project was to develop a grounded theory to explain how athletes apply in life the skills they learned in sport. Data collection occurred over 10 months and consisted of interviews, chronological charts, timelines, and journals with university intramural athletes (n = 13) between the ages of 18 and 24 years old (M = 21.77; SD = 2.2). Social agents (n = 29) playing key roles in the athletes’ lives (e.g., parents, roommates, work colleagues) were sampled and interviewed. Overall, the findings of the project provide empirical support for the occurrence of the life skills transfer process. Specifically, the athletes shared rich examples of how they learned a wide range of life skills in sport and subsequently applied the skills in situations beyond sport (e.g., at work, in relationships, and at home). The substantive theory produced suggests that the application of life skills involves four steps: (a) decision-making, (b) life skills application, (c) appraisal of life skills application, and (c) adaptation. Finally, the current findings have important practical implications for youth sport leadership (e.g., coaches, program administrators) looking to facilitate their athletes’ application in life of the skills learned in sport.
Research methods
A grounded theory methodology was used (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). Data collection occurred over 10 months and involved: (a) individual semi-structured interviews, (b) chronological charts, (c) timelines, and (d) journals. A total of 67 interviews were conducted (38 athlete interviews, 29 social agent interviews). Athletes (7 males, 6 females) between the ages of 18 and 24 (M = 21.77; SD = 2.2) were interviewed at multiple time points. Social agents (9 males, 20 females) aged 19 to 58 years (M = 31; SD = 13.4) took part in a single interview. Social agents were either a work colleague (n = 4), work supervisor (n = 2), friend (n = 5), roommate (n = 4), classmate (n = 4), parent (n = 8), or partner (n = 2). The chronological charts provided a detailed summary of athletes’ sport participation history. For each sport season played, athletes documented (a) age, (b) season duration, (c) context, (d) level, (e) intensity (i.e., number of practices/games a week), and (f) frequency (i.e., always, sometimes, rarely). Based on their sport participation history, athletes plotted on their timelines their perceived life skills learning experiences over time. In total, 46 chart sheets (24 inches by 36 inches long) were obtained. Finally, solicited journaling was used over a 3-month period to have athletes record their ongoing experiences applying in life the skills they believed they learned in sport. A total of 69 journal entries were collected, with each athlete writing three to eight entries (M = 5.31).
Research results
Overall, the findings from this project highlight how athletes believed they applied the skills they learned in sport in situations at work, school, and in the workplace. Within the substantive theory, life skills application is framed as an ongoing process that involves four steps (a) decision-making, (b) application, (c) appraisal, and (d) adaptation. When an athlete finds himself/herself in a context beyond sport, he/she may be presented with opportunities to apply some of the life skills learned/refined in sport and thus create an intention to apply a life skill. Specifically, the findings indicated how athletes’ conscious decision to apply life skills were shaped by their personal assets (e.g., confidence in applying life skills, support of external agents) and their interactions with the features of the application context (e.g., rules, norms, culture). Once the athlete makes the decision to apply a life skill beyond sport, he/she applies the life skill. After applying the life skill, the athlete evaluates his/her life skills application performance in terms of his/her ability to produce positive outcomes for the self and the context in which he/she is engaged in. Finally, the very act of attempting to apply a skill allows the athlete to gain new knowledge about the requirements for successfully applying life skills outside of sport. Such knowledge can be used by the athlete to adapt (if needed) future life skills application attempts to enhance the probability of producing positive outcomes for the person and the context.
Additionally, the findings from this project have important practical implications. First, the findings demonstrate that athletes must perceive opportunities, rewards, and/or needs for life skills application before they can create an intention to apply their life skills. Thus, having opportunities to apply life skills beyond sport represents a key factor in the life skills transfer process. Practically speaking, youth sport leaders (e.g., coaches, program instructors) are encouraged to connect and work with teachers and parents in creating situations/opportunities in which athletes can apply in life the skills they learned in sport. For example, a basketball coach can teach his/her athletes goal-setting skills in sport by having them set goals for practice and competition. To encourage athletes to set goals beyond sport, the coach can collaborate with parents and teachers to create goal-setting plans for at home and in the classroom. Second, the findings highlight how athletes’ ability to successfully apply life skills outside of sport is heavily influenced by the resources (e.g., knowledge, experiences, networks) that they have at their disposal in the specific non-sport domain in which they are engaged in. As such, coaches are encouraged to dedicate time during practice and/or team meetings to get athletes to discuss their experiences applying in life the skills they learned in sport. By reflecting on their own life skills application experiences and being exposed to those of their peers, athletes can potentially increase their understanding of how to adapt their behaviour and successfully apply life skills beyond sport.
In terms of limitations, the theory was built based on the experiences of athletes in their late teens-early twenties who had completed or were enrolled in university and generally had strong social support networks. As a result, the theory may not be representative of the experiences of athletes in other life stages, mainly athletes without university education and/or athletes with poor social support systems.
Policy and program implications
Investigating the life skills transfer process from sport to life is of particular importance considering the Canadian Sport Policy (2012)’s fundamental principles of personal development, respect, and fair play. The findings of the current project highlight how organized sport has the potential to promote athletes’ personal and social development through the learning and transfer of key life skills. However, our findings also show that life skills transfer is a complex process that occurs over time. In order to promote the successful transfer of life skills from sport to life, youth sport leaders are encouraged to integrate strategies into their coaching plan to deliberately teach athletes life skills in sport and the ways in which such skills can be applied beyond sport.
Next steps
The current study represents a preliminary attempt to identify some of the key factors at work in the life skills transfer process. Moving forward and to advance our understanding of transfer, it will be important to explore other factors identified in the literature (e.g., satisfaction of basic needs, similarity of context) that may influence the life skills transfer process.
Knowledge translation
- Coaching Association of Canada: This research project offers youth sport coaches key principles, through the substantive theory, that they can consider when attempting to promote their athletes’ development both within and beyond sport.
- School Sport Canada: The findings from this research project illustrate how participation in sport (including school sport) can foster the development of life skills that can be transferred and help athletes succeed in situations outside of sport.