Student-athletes’ perceptions of four dual career competencies

In order to assess athletes’ competencies required for a successful combination of elite sport and education, the perceptions of 107 Flemish elite student-athletes of the importance, possession, and need to develop four dual career competencies (DC management, DCM; Career Planning, CPL; Mental Toughness, MTO; Social Intelligence and Adaptability, SIA) were investigated using the Dual Career Competency Questionnaire for Athletes (DCCQ-A; De Brandt et al., 2017). Participants perceived all four competencies as important for a successful DC, reported average to good possession of DC competencies, and perceived a general need to develop their DC competencies. Female student-athletes rated the importance of three of four DC competencies (DCM, CPL, SIA) as well as their perceived possession of the competency DCM higher than their male counterparts, and evaluated a stronger need to develop the competencies MTO and SIA. The study confirmed the relevance (high importance) of the four DC competencies in a sample of Flemish student-athletes, and recommends that gender differences be considered in the development of student-athletes’ DC competencies.