“Need help? We got you!”: Sources of support for first-generation Latinx student-athletes

ABSTRACT

Approximately 6% of Latinxs participate in intercollegiate athletics [Lapchick, R. (2020). The 2019 racial and gender report card: College sport. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. https://43530132-36e9-4f52-811a-182c7a91933b.filesusr.com/ugd/7d86e5_d69e3801bb8146f2b08f6e619bcddf22.pdf]; many of these athletes are first-generation college students. However, a large gap in the literature currently exists on experiences of this student-athlete subpopulation. Therefore, this study explores the lived experiences of first-generation Latinx college athletes, focusing on what sources of support they rely on for persistence to degree attainment. Grounded in Rendón’s (1994. Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development. Innovative Higher Education, 19(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01191156) validation theory, this qualitative phenomenological study found that participants built a support network consisting of their teammates, athletic advisors, coaches, and family members. This study concludes with implications for practice and recommendations for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Latinxs
• college athletics
• first-generation college students
• sources of support

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nikola Grafnetterova

Nikola Grafnetterova, Ed.D. is an Athletic Academic Coordinator in the Center for Athletic Academic Services at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, TX.

Rosa M. Banda

Rosa M. Banda, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in College of Education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, TX.