This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II (DII) women's soccer coaches during preseason. A two-pronged conceptual framework that includes path-goal leadership theory and sensemaking theory guided the inquiry, and data was collected through…

Intercollegiate athletics has become a business enterprise which exists and thrives on higher education campuses. As the growth of intercollegiate sport has continued, women have been noticeably absent from leadership roles in this extremely male-dominated profession. With the passage of Title IX there was hope and expectation that women would be…

This dissertation assesses the self-representation and representation of ten elite collegiate women athletes during the first year of the NCAA's new 'name, image and likeness' policies. Building on theories of representation, gender performance, self-presentation and intersectionality, this study explores how women athletes reproduce notions of…

The purpose of this study was to center the experiences of National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) first-generation student-athletes within a predominantly White institution and explore how they define and experience "success" as it pertains to their collegiate careers. Narratives of diverse student-athletes were…

We investigated whether doing sports has any effect on the androgynous characteristics of women. In 15 universities from different regions of Turkey, a questionnare was administered to 341 students (170 elite sportlers from nine sport categories and 171 sedantary controls) during the 2012-2013 study period. The Bem sex role inventory was used to…

The number of women working and participating in intercollegiate athletics has steadily increased the past four decades. This has led for a need to develop women as leaders within collegiate athletics and one way of doing this is through mentoring. Mentoring provides guidance in regard to both the professional development and psychosocial support.…

To assist readers who have specific interests, the WSF [Women's Sports Foundation] has created a series of Research Briefs from Her Life Depends On It III. Her Life Depends On It III is the Women's Sports Foundation's comprehensive report that reviews existing and emerging research on the links between participation in sport and physical activity…

Gender policies in sports have expanded considerably in most countries in recent decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of these policies in sports organizations is by no means an automatic process. This article explores what happens when gender equity policies are applied in an university sports organization. Participatory action research over…

In 1971, female professional physical educators in higher education formed the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) to govern women's college athletics. The AIAW presidents gathered at the University of Iowa in July 1980 for a five-day conference: "AIAW... A Decade of Progress: Presidential Review" to create a…

Signed into law in 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments was designed to eliminate gender discrimination throughout the American educational system. Title IX applied to all educational programs at any level of schooling including admissions, financial aid, academic programs, and social organizations. However, Title IX has primarily been…

The study investigates whether sport is an especially risky environment for sexual harassment to occur. It explores female students' experiences of sexual harassment in organized sport and compares them with their experiences in formal education, by addressing the following research questions: (1) Are there any differences in female sport…

This nationwide online survey, the largest of its kind to-date, was designed to generate facts and analysis of the workplace experiences and views of both female and male coaches of intercollegiate women's sports. This research is unique in that it is the first to assess male coaches of women's teams and make comparisons with female coaches. The…

On June 23, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits gender discrimination in any federally financed education program or activity. Title IX is far-reaching, but the law is most often associated with school and college athletics. Title IX allows schools to prove their athletic…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe patterns of behavior that a student-athlete not only exhibits during athletic competition, but also transfers from the soccer field to the college classroom and to the teaching profession. Using journals, lesson plans, teaching commentaries, videos, and interviews, a qualitative case study…

Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) took control of women's intercollegiate athletics from the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), female athletic administrators have searched for their role and place in the athletics department and in higher education. In the 1980s, the NCAA developed the title of…