Turkish elite swimmers' dual career experiences: A socio-ecological model perspective

Purpose: Student-Athletes experience different challenges from environments at individual, social and physical levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of dual career elite swimmers in the focus of socio-ecological model. Material and Method: In an effort to deal with the individuals about a phenomenon (being a dual-career student) and the meanings they attribute to this phenomenon within themes and concepts has enabled this research to be phenomenological research. A total of 9 swimmers, 2 women and 7 men, participated in the study, representing Turkey at various levels in European and World Short Course and Long Course races. Structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The interview transcriptions were categorized using the MAXQDA program and Thematic content analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Self-regulation and Career Planning at the individual level; Family support at the Social Level, Role of the Teacher, Role of the Coach and Peer Support, and finally the Role of Stakeholder Institutions and Academic Challenges at the Physical Level revealed as study findings. Conclusions and Recommendations: Experiences were revealed by looking at issues such as conflicts, career planning, policies followed by family, coaches, educational institutions and partner institutions in the dual-career processes of high-performing athlete students, with the focus of socio-ecological model, from the perspective of swimmer athlete students. Keywords: Dual Career, Student-Athletes, Socio-ecological Model