Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba

Craig Brown; Leisha Strachan

doi:10.29333/ajqr/12130

Craig Brown ¹ ^* , Leisha Strachan ¹

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 133-147

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

OPEN ACCESS 2037 Views 1218 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

With the growth of immigration in the Canadian context, newcomer athlete acculturation has grown in importance, with implications for everyone involved in the host culture sporting context. The purpose of this project was to increase our collective understanding of newcomer athlete acculturation in Canada by exploring the transition and settlement experiences of seven newcomer varsity athletes in Manitoba. The guiding question for this study was: What are the acculturation experiences of newcomer varsity athletes in Manitoba? An interpretive thematic analysis of the data resulted in themes highlighting particular social elements of Manitoban culture (e.g., tight-knit pre-existing social groups), mental health and resilience, and interactions with host culture systems as key elements in how the newcomer varsity athletes experienced acculturation. Such articulations support perspectives calling for further examination of the roles of structure, mental health and general wellness, and the influence of host and home context culture in understanding newcomer athlete acculturation.

Keywords: acculturation, culture, mental health, newcomer varsity athletes, structure.

References

Blodgett, A. T., Schinke, R. J., McGannon, K. R., Coholic, D., Enosse, L., Peltier, D., & Pheasant, C. (2014). Navigating the insider-outsider hyphen: A qualitative exploration of the acculturation challenges of Aboriginal athletes pursuing sport in Euro-Canadian contexts. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15, 345-355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.02.009
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013) Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. SAGE Publications.
Chirkov, V. (2009). Critical psychology of acculturation: What do we study and how do we study it, when we investigate acculturation? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33, 94-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.12.004
Garrido, Á. A., Olmos, J. C. C., García-Arjona, N., & Pardo, R. (2012). Immigration, school, physical activity and sport: Analysis of sport acculturation in Spain. Kinesiology, 44(1), 83-93. https://doi.org/10.26582/k
Kontos, A. P., & Breland-Noble, A. M. (2002). Racial/Ethnic diversity in applied sport psychology: A multicultural introduction to working with athletes of color. The Sport Psychologist, 16, 296-315. https://doi-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/10.1123/tsp.16.3.296
Loke, W. C., & Mohd-Zaharim, N. (2019). Resilience, decision-making and risk behaviours among early adolescents in Penang, Malaysia. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 14(3), 229-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2019.1612129
Markula, P., & Silk, M. (2011). Qualitative research for physical culture. Palgrave Macmillan.
Masgoret, A-M., & Ward, C. (2006). Cultural learning approach to acculturation. In D. L. Sam, & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology (pp. 58-77). Cambridge University Press.
Pickren, W. E. (2014). What is resilience and how does it relate to the refugee experience? In L. Simich & L. Andermann (Eds.), Historical and theoretical perspectives in refuge and resilience: Promoting resilience and mental health among resettled refugees and forced migrants (pp. 7-26). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7923-5_2
Rudmin, F. (2009). Constructs, measures, and models of acculturation and acculturative stress. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33, 106-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.12.001.
Ryba, T. V. (2017). Cultural sport psychology: a critical review of empirical advances. Current Opinion on Psychology, 16, 123-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.003
Ryba, T. V., Schinke, R. J., Stambulova, N. B., & Elbe, A. (2018). ISSP position stand: Transnationalism, mobility, and acculturation in and through sport. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16(5), 520-534. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2017.1280836
Ryba, T. V., Stambulova, N., & Ronkainen, N. J. (2016). The work of cultural transition: An emerging model. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(427), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00427
Sam, D. L. (2006). Acculturation: Conceptual background. In D. L. Sam & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology (pp. 11-26). Cambridge University Press.
Schinke, R. J. & McGannon, K. R. (2014). The acculturation experiences of (and with) immigrant athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 64- 75, https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2013.785093
Schinke, R. J., Blodgett, A. T., McGannon, K. R., & Ge, Y. (2016a). Finding one’s footing on foreign soil: A composite vignette of elite athlete acculturation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 25, 36-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.04.001
Schinke, R. J., Blodgett, A. T., McGannon, K. R., Ge, Y., Oghene, O., & Seanor, M. (2016b). A composite vignette on striving to become “someone” in my new sport system: The critical acculturation of immigrated athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 30 (4), 350-360. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2015-0126
Schinke, R. J., Blodgett, A. T., McGannon, K. R., Ge, Y., Oghene, O., & Seanor, M. (2017). Adjusting to the receiving country outside the sport environment: A composite vignette of Canadian immigrant amateur elite athlete acculturation. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 29(3), 270-284, https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2016.1243593
Schinke, R. J., McGannon, K. R., Battochio, R. C., & Wells, G. (2013). Acculturation in elite sport: a thematic analysis of immigrant athletes and coaches. Journal of Sport Sciences, 31(15), 1676-1686. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.794949
Schinke, R.J., Yukelson, D., Bartolacci, G., Battochio, R. C., & Johnstone, K. (2011). The challenges encountered by immigrated elite athletes. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 2(1), 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2011.556179
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 699-713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
Sparkes, A. C., & Smith, B. (2014). Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health: From process to product. Routledge.
Sport for Life (2018). Sport for life for all newcomers to Canada. http://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Creating-Inclusion-for-New-Citizens-May-2018.pdf
Statistics Canada (2016). Census profile. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=&Code2=&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0
Statistics Canada (2018). Quarterly demographics estimates. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/91-002-x/91-002-x2018002-eng.pdf?st=- MFHBHlP
The Player’s Tribune (n.d.). Letter to my younger self. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/collections/letter-to-my-younger-self
The United Nations (2019). World economic situation and prospects. https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/WESP2019_BOOK-ANNEX-en.pdf
Ungar, M. (2008). Resilience across cultures. The British Journal of Social Work, 38(2), 218–235. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcl343
Weedon, G. (2011). ‘Glocal boys’: Exploring experiences of acculturation amongst migrant youth footballers in Premier League academies. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 47(2), 200-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690211399221

Citation

Brown, C., & Strachan, L. (2022). Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(2), 133-147. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

Brown, C., and Strachan, L. (2022). Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(2), pp. 133-147. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

Brown C, Strachan L. Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2022;6(2), 133-147. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

Brown, Craig, and Leisha Strachan. "Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2022 6 no. 2 (2022): 133-147. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

Brown, Craig et al. "Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 6, no. 2, 2022, pp. 133-147. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130

Brown C, Strachan L. Exploring Structure and Culture in the Lived Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Varsity Athletes in Manitoba. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2022;6(2):133-47. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12130