A Balancing Act: First team rugby Players' Perceptions about Academic and Athletic Commitments

Abstract

Sport is regarded as an essential component of Higher Education Institution governance, development, and the lives of student-athletes and the academic community. Student-athletes in Higher Education Institutions around the world are increasingly needed to manage their academic and athletic commitments. The purpose of this research is to examine factors that influence student-athletes' ability to balance academic and athletic commitments. The conceptual framework basis for this study adopted Comeaux and Harrison's model of academic achievement for student-athletes. An exploratory-qualitative design methodological approach was adopted to collect data, using two focus group discussions. Using a purposive sampling method, fifteen Higher Education Institution first team rugby players consented to participate in this study. A deductive theme analysis technique was used to analyse the data.