PERCEPTIONS OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT: A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS (1965-1970)

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the effect of participation in intercollegiate sport on the leadership success of former student-athletes who played intercollegiate basketball for The University of Western Ontario between 1965 and 1970. Thirty participants from these teams, twenty men and ten women, completed semi- structured interviews as part of a qualitative retrospective study on their intercollegiate experiences and their work and life since then. Participants believed that on reflection, playing intercollegiate sport prepared them for leadership success in work and life. The intercollegiate atmosphere, their teammates, and the coaching staff exposed the participants to teachable leadership behaviours which were further fostered through the opportunity to utilize these behaviours and reflect upon the lessons learned from their experiences. Results suggest that intercollegiate sport is a fertile ground for leadership development for student-athletes - both formal leaders and informal leaders alike - that endures beyond the sport environment.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Beard, Shawn M.N.

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Weese, Jim
• Doherty, Alison
• McMullin, Julie

• Leadership
• leadership development
• leadership emergence
• informal leaders
• qualitative method
• intercollegiate athletics
• basketball
• The University of Western Ontario

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/18983

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/18983