Gold in Education and Elite Sport (GEES): Do elite athletes in secondary and higher education prioritize different dual career competences?

The aim of this study was to explore if elite athletes in secondary education (SE) prioritize different dual career (DC) competences in several challenging DC scenarios compared to elite athletes in higher education (HE). The GEES project identified i) a GEES list of 38 DC competence items and 4 DC competence factors (DC management competences, Self-regulation & Resilience competences, Social competences, and Career Planning competences), and ii) 6 challenging DC scenarios (e.g. exam coincides with competition (1), making study choices (2), missing significant days of study (3), relocating for sport and/or study (4), suffering from an injury (5), social life expectations (6)) (De Brandt et al., 2016). 471 15-to-25-year-old Flemish SE and HE athletes (mean age 17.6 ± 2.2 yrs; 39% female) selected from the GEES list the five DC competences they perceived as most important to successfully manage each scenario. Independent t-tests showed significant differences in the competences prioritized by SE and HE athletes in 5 out of 6 scenarios (p<.05; Cohen d range: .22 - .43). In scenario 1, HE athletes prioritized their DC management competences more than SE athletes. In scenario 3, SE athletes prioritized their Self-regulation & Resilience competences more, whereas HE athletes prioritized their Social competences more. In scenario 4 and 6, SE athletes prioritized their Self-regulation & Resilience and Career Planning competences more than HE athletes. In scenario 5, SE athletes prioritized their DC management competences more than HE athletes. Findings imply that a need exists for a developmental and situational approach in assisting athletes during their DC ‘elite sport and study’ pathway.