Career maturity and college students : a case study comparison of student-athletes and non-athletes at a Division I institution

This quantitative comparative research study examines the career maturity of student-athletes in comparison to non-athletes at a Division I university. The study also measures differences in career maturity among student-athletes based on gender, class level, race/ethnicity, by sport, by type of sport (revenue/non-revenue), and professional sports aspirations. Super’s Theory of Career Development served as the theoretical framework, while disproportionate stratified sampling was utilized to secure the student-athlete (N=122) and non-athlete (N=171) participants. Data collection occurred via an online survey comprised of the 25-question Career Maturity Inventory-Revised Attitude Scale (CMI-R/AS), as well as 13 demographic and supplemental questions. An analysis of the data indicated that student-athletes exhibited lower levels of career maturity compared to non-athletes, though the difference was not highly significant. The data also yielded the following key findings. First, as student-athletes’ belief in their likelihood that they would play professional sports decreased, their levels of career maturity increased. Next, student-athletes competing in football, baseball, and men’s basketball exhibited the lowest levels of career maturity across sports. In addition, student-athletes who identified most with their athletic identities exhibited lower levels of career maturity. Finally, as class level and year of eligibility increased, student-athletes’ levels of career maturity increased. The study concludes with some recommendations on how to engage student-athletes in the career development process and some suggestions for future research.