The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the sociocultural experiences of Cherokee adults in athletic competition and sport. Specifically, following a qualitative design, fifteen participants were interviewed about their personal experiences in athletic competition and sport while growing up in rural Oklahoma. Interviews were open-ended and followed a semi-structured script of questions with additional probes. Once completed, the recorded interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed. The data revealed six axial codes and three selective codes. Cherokee culture, psychoSocial identity, and athletic competition were the three major selective codes discovered in this study. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants have lived in an environment that is conducive for athletic growth, cultural awareness, and Social exploration. The family, schools, and communities offer simple, yet stable surroundings. Athletic and Social identities are formed at early ages and are fostered by the close knit Cherokee culture.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the sociocultural experiences of Cherokee adults in athletic competition and sport. Specifically, following a qualitative design, fifteen participants were interviewed about their personal experiences in athletic competition and sport while growing up in rural Oklahoma. Interviews were open-ended and followed a semi-structured script of questions with additional probes. Once completed, the recorded interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed. The data revealed six axial codes and three selective codes. Cherokee culture, psychoSocial identity, and athletic competition were the three major selective codes discovered in this study. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants have lived in an environment that is conducive for athletic growth, cultural awareness, and Social exploration. The family, schools, and communities offer simple, yet stable surroundings. Athletic and Social identities are formed at early ages and are fostered by the close knit Cherokee culture.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Merrie, Michael Dewayne"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gorman, Dean R.","Calleja, Paul"],"advisors":["Lirgg, Cathy D."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:59:08Z","subjects":["Social sciences","Psychology","Health and environmental sciences","Education","American indians","Athletics","Competition","Native Americans","Sociocultural","Sports","Social Psychology and Interaction","Sociology of Culture","Sports Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1786","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Gorman, Dean R.","Calleja, Paul"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Lirgg, Cathy D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Merrie, Michael Dewayne"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2016"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-09-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Social sciences","Psychology","Health and environmental sciences","Education","American indians","Athletics","Competition","Native Americans","Sociocultural","Sports","Social Psychology and Interaction","Sociology of Culture","Sports Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1786"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the sociocultural experiences of Cherokee adults in athletic competition and sport. Specifically, following a qualitative design, fifteen participants were interviewed about their personal experiences in athletic competition and sport while growing up in rural Oklahoma. Interviews were open-ended and followed a semi-structured script of questions with additional probes. Once completed, the recorded interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed. The data revealed six axial codes and three selective codes. Cherokee culture, psychoSocial identity, and athletic competition were the three major selective codes discovered in this study. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants have lived in an environment that is conducive for athletic growth, cultural awareness, and Social exploration. The family, schools, and communities offer simple, yet stable surroundings. Athletic and Social identities are formed at early ages and are fostered by the close knit Cherokee culture.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Examining the Sociocultural Experiences of Cherokee Nation Citizens in Athletic Competition and Sport"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Gorman, Dean R.","Calleja, Paul"],"dc:contributor.advisor":["Lirgg, Cathy D."],"dc:creator":["Merrie, Michael Dewayne"],"dc:date":["2016"],"dc:date.available":["2017-09-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the sociocultural experiences of Cherokee adults in athletic competition and sport. Specifically, following a qualitative design, fifteen participants were interviewed about their personal experiences in athletic competition and sport while growing up in rural Oklahoma. Interviews were open-ended and followed a semi-structured script of questions with additional probes. Once completed, the recorded interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed. The data revealed six axial codes and three selective codes. Cherokee culture, psychoSocial identity, and athletic competition were the three major selective codes discovered in this study. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants have lived in an environment that is conducive for athletic growth, cultural awareness, and Social exploration. The family, schools, and communities offer simple, yet stable surroundings. Athletic and Social identities are formed at early ages and are fostered by the close knit Cherokee culture.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1786"],"dc:subject":["Social sciences","Psychology","Health and environmental sciences","Education","American indians","Athletics","Competition","Native Americans","Sociocultural","Sports","Social Psychology and Interaction","Sociology of Culture","Sports Studies"],"dc:title":["Examining the Sociocultural Experiences of Cherokee Nation Citizens in Athletic Competition and Sport"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:59:08Z"}