Identity and Career Maturity in Kinesiology Students

The purpose of this study was to explore athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career maturity in a sample of undergraduate college students currently enrolled in kinesiology and physical education classes at a university in the southern United States. Students were provided with an internet link that requested them to complete a demographic survey, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), the foreclosure subscale of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status, and the Attitude Scale (Form A-2) of the Career Maturity Inventory. Examination of the Pearson moment correlations indicated that the higher the sport participation during high school, the greater the athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and lower the career maturity attitudes. ANOVAs were performed to examine differences between males (n = 123) and females (n = 183), kinesiology (n = 181) and non-kinesiology majors (n = 125), and white (n = 144) and non-white students (n = 162) on athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career maturity. Results showed that males scored significantly higher on athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and significantly lower on career maturity than females. Kinesiology students had scores significantly higher on athletic identity and identity foreclosure, and lower on career maturity. Finally, individuals that identified their ethnicity as White had higher athletic identity, lower identity foreclosure, and significantly higher career maturity than individuals who identified as an ethnicity other than white. Although the relationships in this study are in line with what has been found in previous research, the relationships among this sample of undergraduate students were weak. Future research should replicate the study using a measurable level of sport skill level. Future research should also consider introducing an intervention with a career development program, and track participants' athletic identity, identity foreclosure, and career mature before, during, and after implementation of the program.