A phenomenological study of selected international student-athletes at Saint Mary's University

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of three international male student-athletes. The setting was Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. All the participants were undergraduate international students drawn from soccer and basketball varsity teams. The participants shared their lived experiences and the meaning of those experiences through in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and written narratives. Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological data analysis approach guided the data collection and analysis. All interviews were audio-taped by the researcher with permission from the participants and transcribed verbatim by a qualified transcriptionist.

The main objective of the study was to describe the lived experiences of the selected participants without making assumptions about the objective reality of those experiences. This process resulted in a characterization and understanding of the meanings of being an international male student-athlete as lived, and described by the participants themselves. Five themes were identified from the phenomenological data analysis in relation to the athletes' lived experiences as students and athletes and their meaning. These are: significant others; challenges; hard work; accomplishment; and determination. The findings reveal that the international male student-athletes had a positive, enriching, and fulfilling experience. These findings have implications for coaches, faculty, and university administrators and may contribute to a knowledge base in history and sociology of sport and socio-cultural research in Atlantic Canada.