A study on the implementation of dual career at European higher education institutions : the student-athletes' and experts' views

Izzicupo, Pascal (author), Fusco, Andrea (author), Doupona, Mojca (author)

Introduction: The holistic development of elite athletes is a priority within European sports policies, necessitating a coordinated approach to dual career support. This study evaluated the perspectives of both university experts and student-athletes (S-As) on various dual career aspects, aiming to provide actionable insights for improving policies within European higher education institutions (HEIs). Materials and methods: Data was collected through an online survey tailored for HEI experts and S-As across multiple countries. A total of 46 HEI experts and 321 S-As responded to the survey. The role of the country of origin on each dual career aspect for S-As was investigated using a MANOVA, followed by an ANOVA and post hoc analyses using Tukey’s test when an effect emerged. The data from HEI experts and comparisons between S-As and HEI experts were handled descriptively due to the violation of assumptions of homogeneity of variances and sufficient sample size. Results: The study revealed significant trends and disparities in the availability and quality of support services. In particular, logistic, and financial support, and other support/policies areas showed a significant effect for S-As countries of origin, with Romanian and Serbian S-As generally reporting better scores and Italian and Spanish worse. In general, HEI experts rated dual career provision areas more favorably than S-As. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of integrating both HEI expert and S-As’ perspectives to develop effective dual career policies. Tailored interventions and enhanced communication about available resources are crucial for improving the dual career experiences of S-As across Europe.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, dual career, student-athletes, policies, programmes, sport and education, support entourage
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 7, art. 1507951
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185627
• UDC: 796.01
• ISSN on article: 2624-9367
• DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1507951
• COBISS.SI-ID: 238475011
• Publication date in RUL: 13.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Frontiers in sports and active living
• Shortened title: Front. sports act. living
• Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
• ISSN: 2624-9367
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5650865

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: šport, dvojna kariera, študenti, politika, programi, izobraževanje, podporno okolje

Projects

• Funder: European Union
• Funding programme: Erasmus+
• Project number: 101134043
• Name: The FindME: University Dual Career Opportunities