Dual career between sports performance and academic engagement: a qualitative study of Colombian student-athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24054/hhcaaa66Keywords:
undergraduate education, graduate student, athletic competition, education, college sportsAbstract
Introduction. University students play a dual role that combines their academic studies and sporting activities, which requires them to strike a balance between the two. Objective. The purpose was to understand the relationship between academic commitment and athletic performance in Colombian student-athletes. Method. Qualitative study of an interpretative-hermeneutic nature. The sample consisted of 11 student-athletes who were enrolled in the 2025-1 semester. A semi-structured interview was designed and validated by three experts in qualitative research. The categories identified were: i) sociodemographic profile of the students; ii) considerations of athletic performance; iii) considerations of academic commitment; iv) student-athlete relationship; v) factors influencing the student-athlete relationship. Results. Student-athletes mentioned that their social environments (friends, classmates, and coaches), demographics (place of residence and study), and family (parents, siblings, grandparents, friends) influenced their choice of sport to a certain extent. In addition, their sporting contexts gave them the perspective and vision to choose a professional career related to their role as athletes. Conclusion. There are factors that influence the pursuit of sports and academic activities, some of which were repeatedly mentioned by the participants interviewed. The main factors were: i) sociodemographic factors associated with travel (distance from training venues, university, home, and/or work); ii) economic factors (transportation, food, academic or sports expenses, travel, etc.); iii) academic factors, among which curricular flexibility stands out (severity with regard to academic absences, make-up activities, etc.)
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Copyright (c) 2026 Brenda Navarro Mejia, Luis Hernando Ramírez Soler, Johan Manuel Malaver Pérez, Santiago Nieto Rojas, Boryi Alexander Becerra Patiño
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