Date of Award

Spring 2026

Language

English

Embargo Period

5-7-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational Policy and Leadership

Program

Educational Policy and Leadership

First Advisor

Teniell Trolian

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Jach

Third Advisor

Michael Christakis

Keywords

student-athlete; coach; engagement

Subject Categories

Educational Leadership | Educational Methods

Abstract

ABSTRACT

 

THE ROLE OF THE COACH IN STUDENT-ATHLETE ENGAGEMENT

Christina Cobb

Student engagement has long been recognized as a key indicator of student success in higher education, but limited research has examined engagement within the context of intercollegiate athletics. This qualitative case study explored how college coaches influence student-athlete engagement and how student-athletes utilize athletic department support services designed to promote engagement practices. Guided by Kuh et al.’s (2006) theory of student engagement, this study examined engagement through the lens of time and effort invested in educationally purposeful activities and the institutional environments that support or constrain participation.

Participants included six student-athletes, four coaches, and two athletic department administrators at a Division I institution. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and archival records. Data was transcribed, coded, and analyzed using NVivo to identify patterns and themes across participant groups.

Four major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) engagement among student-athletes is fundamentally relational and centered within team environments, (2) coaches function as gatekeepers of engagement opportunities, (3) the structural demands of collegiate athletics constrain participation in engagement practices, and (4) misalignment exists in how engagement is defined, communicated, and experienced across roles. Findings suggest that while athletic departments provide resources and programming intended to support student-athlete engagement, participation is largely mediated by coaching expectations, athletic structures, and varying conceptualizations of engagement. These results contribute to the limited qualitative literature on student-athlete engagement and highlight the importance of aligning institutional messaging, coaching practices, and structural conditions to better support student-athlete development.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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