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A Recruitment Profile of Student-athletes at a Division III Institution in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Wohlstein, Douglas A and Allison-Jones, Lisa and DeVito, Anna and Lewis, Melanie A Recruitment Profile of Student-athletes at a Division III Institution in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. 2023. Radford University, Doctoral Capstone Project. Radford University Scholars' Repository.

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Abstract

The primary mission of Division III colleges and universities revolves around prioritizing the quality of students’ educational experiences. Within this context, athletics holds great significance for student–athletes, representing an integral part of their overall development (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2022). Division III institutions rely heavily on tuition and enrollment as crucial sources of funding. The objective of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to comprehensively explore the factors influencing university choice among student–athletes in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference through digital administration of the Interscholastic Student–Athlete Recruiting Questionnaire to student–athletes at Averett University. The aim was to create a detailed recruiting profile for male and female student by identifying key university choice factors. Doing so would allow coaches and recruiters to refine their recruiting strategies and effectively attract commitments from prospective athletes. Family sport culture had low–moderate associations with most university choice factors. Coaching was the category ranked most important, with coach personality and relationships established during recruiting not only ranking highly as factors but also positively associated with all other factors. Female student–athletes were more susceptible to influence than their male counterparts with regard to the categories of academics, communication tactics, coaching, and location. The implications of the study for those recruiting student–athletes pertain to the significance of various factors influencing the university selection processes of student–athletes. Comprehension of these factors will allow focused tailoring of recruitment strategies to secure greater commitments from prospective student–athletes and improvement in overall enrollment rates.

Item Type: Doctoral Capstone Project
Subjects: L Education > L Education (General)
Divisions: Radford University > Waldron College of Health and Human Services > Health Sciences Program
Date Deposited: 25 Jul 2023 07:13
Last Modified: 25 Jul 2023 07:13
URI: http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/1025

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