Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education

First Committee Member

Federick Ngo

Second Committee Member

Stefani Relles

Third Committee Member

Lisa Bendixen

Fourth Committee Member

Chia-Liang Dai

Number of Pages

278

Abstract

Comprehending the complexities associated with student-athlete well-being while competing on campus is important for both institutions of higher education and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Studies relating to student-athlete well-being have researched many different areas such as suicide prevention (Gross et al., 2020), mental health treatments (Ryan et al.,2018), and injury recovery (Martin et al., 2021). Few studies have examined student-athlete flourishing which focuses on helping individuals thrive and reach their greatest potential. This study employs an explanatory sequential mixed method design to examine student-athlete flourishing along with factors associated with student-athlete flourishing. Survey data (N=89) provided insight on student-athlete experiences, including positive and negative emotions, engagement levels with their academic and athletic responsibilities, health, relationships on campus, meaning and purpose for being a student-athlete, and their accomplishments. Items within the flourishing survey are derived from the Butler & Kern’s (2016) PERMA Profiler questionnaire which evaluates an individual’s perception of flourishing. Further context into student-athlete flourishing is gathered through interviewing NCAA student-athletes (N=15) and allowing them to give voice and a better understanding of their perceptions of flourishing elements. An evaluation of the integration of the survey and interview results provided insight into the convergence and divergence of the flourishing data. The mixed method research design utilized in this study provided an opportunity for deeper comprehension of the concept of student-athlete flourishing within intercollegiate athletics by evaluating their perceptions quantitatively, qualitatively, and comparatively.

Keywords

Flourishing; Intercollegiate Athletics; NCAA; Positive Psychology; Student-Athlete; Well-Being

Disciplines

Education | Higher Education Administration | Sports Management | Sports Studies

File Format

PDF

File Size

1831 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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