A mixed-methods approach to identifying participation issues pertinent in interscholastic sports

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate three propositions: (a) What are the participation issues most pertinent to interscholastic athletic administrators? (b) What is the perceived level of importance of these participation issues to athletic administrators? and (c) What are the potential implications of those pertinent participation issues to practicing athletic administrators? A national study was conducted with athletic directors (n = 170) from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association annual conference. Athletic directors completed a survey to identify and then rank in terms of importance issues that they face on a daily basis. The 14 issues identified as most important were framed within five categories: Education Base Athletic Programs, Recruitment, Specialization, and Student-Athletes. A one-tailed ANOVA was executed to determine significant differences based on geographical region among these participation issues. Following the quantitative survey, follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to further delve into the most important issues. The results offer insight from which further investigations could be conducted to continue building on policies that influence interscholastic administrators' day-to-day accountability when overseeing their programs.