Our dorm, our home, our friends, family
Experiences of belonging among international college athletes
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12572996 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kaitlin Pericak (0000-0001-7784-9422, Sociology, North Carolina Wesleyan University, Rocky Mount, NC, USA, corresponding author), Fabio Felli (Sociology, North Carolina Wesleyan University, Rocky Mount, NC, USA), Simran Kaur Sethi (0000-0002-5470-5351, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1153-1166 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-06 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sport Education and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1357-3322 • E-ISSN: 1470-1243 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13573322.2023.2264853 |
| OpenAlex | W4387395160 |
| Language | FR |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 32 |
This study explores the experiences of international college athletes (ICAs) at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (DIII) small private institution in the Southern part of the United States (U.S.). ICAs are an integral part of the athletic and academic community and have been part of the NCAA for over 50 years; however, there is limited research surrounding this population's experience of belonging at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially at the NCAA DIII level. Drawing on Strayhorn and Merleau-Ponty, this study employs focus groups to examine the lived experience of ICAs (n = 18) and their sense of belonging. The findings reveal the challenges ICAs face, how they overcome these challenges by finding belonging, and feeling forced to assimilate to fit in. We conclude with suggestions for the NCAA and its member institutions, including the need for more research to be conducted on ICAs, particularly at the DIII level.KEYWORDS: International college athletesassimilationintegrationbelongingphenomenology Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Given the inherently exploitative nature of the term ‘student-athlete’ (Canada et al., Citation2022), following Sethi et al. (Citation2022) we will refer to this population as international college athletes (ICAs) for the remainder of this manuscript.2 The term ‘over’ 22,000 is used to acknowledge the number of Division I, II, and III ICAs since the exact number of international college athletes in the entire NCAA is unknown because data on Division III ICAs is not collected
Athletes · College athletics · Higher education · Institution · Political science · Population · Sociology · Demography · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sport Psychology and Performance · Sports, Gender, and Society
College Students’ Sense of Belonging
Phenomenology of Perception
Leaving College
Coming to America
Rethinking Assimilation Theory for a New Era of Immigration
The Enigma of Health
The Division of Labour in Society
International Student's Challenge and Adjustment to College
The need to belong
How Many Interviews Are Enough
Title IX at 50
Snowball Sampling
Focus Groups
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |