Bridging Research and Practice: Advancing Equity in Student-Athlete Success (Part 2)

Speaker A: Foreign mhm.

Speaker B: Welcome back to the RPP exchange where we tackle RPPs and make connections between research and practice. In this segment, I want to talk about qualitative research and student voices. Uh, now in our last segment, we heard Brady talking about statistics and quantitative data and RPPs and how they shaped much of his K12 experience and how he gives back in his current role at the Gossan center for Academic Excellence and success using RPPs. Um, now from my conversations with Brady, I know that we are both not only quantitative, but qualitative researchers and are really focused on student experience. Now Brady, I know much of your work and your research touches on the lived experiences of student athletes. How do you use qualitative research methods to capture stories and insights to create this change that you do?

Speaker A: Yeah, great question. And I love getting the real life perspectives of those involved with the student athlete experience. Coaches, sport administrators, etc. And as it relates to my topic of interest, I'm fascinated by the qualitative research question that I plan to sit with these individuals and really and ask and gain their perspective, which would be bond, like what specific scheduling, travel and coaching expectations prevent Division 1 athletes from completing teaching certification experiences and what institutional accommodations or lack thereof are reported or available. And I think that, uh, an assessment, an interview of the constituents involved in the student athlete process while they're enrolled at our institutions of higher education and the data and the information that we can gain from those type of conversations will really help shape and inform the future of this work. And I. On the quantitative side, I know you asked me about the qualitative side, but one of the research questions that I'm really intrigued by on the quantitative side will be whether or not there's a statistically significant difference in the enrollment and graduation rates from teacher education programs between Division 1 athletes and the general student population. I know, and you, you and I share mutual colleagues in the College of Education here at the University of Maryland. And I know that those faculty, staff and administrators would love to have, uh, more student athletes enrolled in their programs. Recently the university has added a human development major within the College of Education. And we have seen an uptick of interest in our student athletes that are pursuing that, that specific discipline. But those two key research questions, Vaughn, really, really inform my work in the pursuit of this, this topic. And so I'm excited with this mixed method approach that I plan to implement. And um, you know, uh, working on this and even through the lit review and looking at other things that might exist out there or have existed previously, what I'm able to learn and what I'm able to put in place for the future that could inform this work. Well, uh, I was challenged by a colleague not long ago who asked me a very important question. M. How do you know that student athletes are even interested in being teachers? So from a qualitative perspective to understand whether or not student athletes even see education as a viable career and what are the challenges associated with that, uh, pay, teacher retention, um, so on and so forth that, um, you know, self efficacy and other limitations or possible challenges with whether or not student athletes are even interested in being teachers. Here I am with this passion to have more in the classroom teaching and coaching our kids. But I first need to understand whether or not they're even interested in that. So that was, uh, a qualitative research question that really challenged my thinking and caused me to pivot a little bit on, you know, how I might address, uh, this topic and whether or not it's relevant from the standpoint of, of just simply interest and motivation.

Speaker B: I think that's, I think that's an amazing, um, point that you hit on. And I experience it a lot in my research with black boys in k through 12 settings where k there's such an interest in. We as researchers, we have all these ideas of what the different populations need, whether they be student athletes, whether they be adolescent black boys, um, whether they be first generation students. And the thing I love about qualitative research is that it makes the participant the expert. We could have all these ideas for research, but we have to first ask, does this even resonate? Is this something that the student athletes are interested? And I think that's where things like interviews and focus groups are really important because we get the student perspective and those sometimes marginalized voices are now empowered. And that's what I love about qualitative research, where quantitative research, you know, you see the numbers and the numbers, sometimes they don't tell that story. So that's what I see as some of the strengths of qualitative approaches in understanding student identity, motivation, belonging, future aspirations. And I think you touched on a lot of that, uh, in that last response.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I agree with you, Vaughn. And I tell you, you remind me of something. And really I've been looking a lot within qualitative research design, looking at critical discourse analysis and ways to understand relationships between maybe teacher, student and coach, student athlete and, and um, and how information and conversation flows, you know, how the discussions flow between those groups. You know, the, the power, the, the dominant power, the, the teacher, student the coach, student athlete, the power dynamics, the, the norms there and how that discourse happens. And fascinating experience a year ago in an athletics council meeting where we had a head coach of one of our teams who was asked by the dean of a particular college how he motivated the student athletes on his team. And as an educator, she was interested in that information and how she could help motivate her students in the classroom.

Speaker B: So

Speaker A: man, that was a, that was a milestone moment in my career because I've, I've really been passionate about sport as an educational activity. And to, to see that, to hear the dean of a college be interested in the perspectives of the head coach about motivating young people in the classroom and in the court, man, there's such a synergy there, there's such a similarity there. And I think the study of that from a critical discourse analysis perspective could inform a lot of the relationships that happen in K through 12 education between teachers and students, between coach and student athlete. And so there's a lot here, there's a lot to dissect, there's a lot of interviews that need to occur, there's a lot of information and data that can be collected. And I'm just, I'm even more excited than I've been to just be continuing this journey and what we might be able to even figure out together. Vaugh.

Speaker B: I agree, I agree. I think there's amazing work that's happening. I think there's amazing work that can, uh, be done. Um, so I know the Gossett Center's work reflects a deep commitment to equity and inclusion, uh, in our conversations and even in this conversation. I think that really shines through, um, in your work, Brady. And that's something that's super important to you. How do those values inform, uh, your leadership, uh, and decision making, working with such a diverse population that is Division one student athletes?

Speaker A: Yeah, you're really touching on something that is the most important, I think, thing that we do here in the Gossett center, which is create environments and cultures for everyone, regardless of their background, to thrive and accomplish their goals. And I often talk with the staff about experience that I had at a previous school where when you walked out of the building, there was a sign above the ceiling that said, did you get better today? And within our space, you know, we, that that's what we hope to create for these young 18 to 22 year olds that are here at a time when they have opportunities to stretch beyond the familiar, to meet people that they otherwise wouldn't meet and to, to Gain self awareness about how, how their upbringing and experiences have shaped who they are so that they can go out and now, uh, shape the world for the next generation that will come after them. And I truly believe that a team or an organization of different backgrounds, upbringing, socioeconomic status, race, experiences, parts of the country, really, you bring that together and that's what makes a dynamic, innovative, um, you know, just a thriving organism that are all reaching for a similar goal. And really, that's why I love sport, Vaughn. You know, sport, there's a goal and when, when there's, when the game's on the line and you're down by two and you need a three pointer to, to win that game at the buzzer. Nobody's asking about your socioeconomic status. Nobody's asking about, you know, your opinions, whether you're, whether you're on what side of the aisle you are, Republican or Democrat. Everybody on that team wants that ball to go in the net. And, and I think that that can teach us a lot about life. And so within the Gossett center, we got a bunch of people that are fired up about creating opportunities for young people to maximize their potential. And when they leave here, they will have a degree in their back pocket that's meaningful to them, and they will go out and they will be able to change the world, um, for the better. And so, you know, we, I'll tell you, we yesterday, there's all of us on our team, we're reading a book right now called the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. And we're really working within ourselves to ensure that we hold ourselves accountable as educators and practitioners to create spaces where young people can be who they are, and that's good enough, and then they can maximize the potential from there. Vaughn. So you got me, you got me fired up here even more. But, uh, I hope that answers your question.

Speaker B: No, for sure, for sure. And it leads into my next question. Um, and I'm going to give the listeners a little bit of background knowledge. But when, uh, I met you, Brady, something that really resonated, something that I saw in you, was that you're an agent for change and you're always looking to, to push, to push the practice forward. Um, and if there's uncomfortable conversations, you're willing to have them, and if there's new ideas that maybe will take a little bit of risk, you're all for it. Um, and I just wanted you to elaborate for the listeners and maybe just give some more insight on how do you mentor and empower your staff and student Athletes to think about their own role as change agents within and beyond athletics.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good question. And I. Well, um, let me share this with you, Vaughn. So I have always been someone who desired to figure out how to find that edge. You know, there's a great book called the Slight Edge. Uh, the author escapes me right now, but to find that edge, to be. To try to get a little bit better every day. And I've always been motivated by that. And I worked with a coach one time. His name is Bill o'. Brien. He's a head football coach at Penn State when I was there. He's now the head football coach at Boston College. And I had a meeting with him one time because I was departing the university for a position at Syracuse, and I really looked up to him. Uh, he was a great leader and I considered him a mentor. And I said, coach, uh, in your work with me over the past year and a half, what would you. Could. Could you share something with me that would be a weakness and maybe something that would be a strength? And I'll never forget that what he saw in me was an ability to think outside of the box. And maybe that's how I operated. But I didn't have. I didn't really think that, think of it that way. But to hear him say it back to me, was that a strength, was this ability to think outside of the box. I've tried to really relish that and be someone who can solve problems, can see the forest through the trees, and can lead teams and organizations in directions that maybe they thought that they couldn't, or find problems, turn over all the rocks to find problems or solutions to things that would be creative or maybe somebody hasn't thought of. And then I've tried to live by this mantra, Vaughn, which is, if you're stagnant, you're in decline. You know, I really. I really feel like you either get better, you get worse, you never stay the same. So I've been about pushing the envelope. I've been about, you know, how can we be different. I was. I've really been a lot about, like, college athletics is changing. Student athlete services needs to change with it. Our unit needs to adjust and adapt. We can't just sit back on our heels and wait for tell up, wait for somebody else to tell us the newest way to help young student athletes accomplish their dreams. We need to find it. We need to find it first. So, yeah, I appreciate you, uh, bringing that up and seeing that in me, but, um, maybe it's just something I was born with. But I, uh, but I really do relish an opportunity to try new things, to take risks. And what I love is challenging other people now to do that. You know, there's a sign on the door that just says, you know, don't be afraid to take a risk and put yourself out there and try something new, because that's where the growth occurs. And I just hope if there's anything that I can do during my time in the Gossett center, is. Is that what. That's really what I would want to be remembered by? You know, did he make the place better? And was it an environment where people felt like it was. It was an innovative space. It was a dynamic space. You know, they. Because we've always done it was not an answer to any question in that center while Brady was there.

Speaker C: And that wraps up part two of our series. Today we dug into how research and practice intersect inside collegiate athletics and how leaders like Brady Rourke are using data, collaboration and equity centered decision making to create real outcomes for student athletes. But we're not done yet. In the third and final segment of this series, we're taking everything we've discussed and pushing it forward. We'll explore the future implications of this work, what the next decade of student athlete support could look like, where systems need to evolve, and how research can more effectively drive institutional change. And of course, we'll close out the series with some final review reflections and powerful closing remarks from our special guests.

Speaker B: You won't want to miss it.

Speaker C: Part three is where we bring it all home. Stay tuned.

Speaker A: Turn it up.

Speaker C: The RPP Exchange is brought to you by the Racial and Social Justice Collaborative and the center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland, College Park. If you know someone who might be interested in creating more equitable learning environments and experience through research practice partnerships, please consider sharing this podcast. I'm, um, your host, VIP Vaughn Parham. Until next time, take care.