PURPOSE This study developed and applied a group counseling program for university athletes’ career development. METHODS Following Kim’s (2002) procedure for developing group counseling, this program was based on social cognitive career theory and finalized by using two preliminary studies and expert validation evaluation. Afterward, Taekwondo players from University A in Chungcheongnam-do and University B in Seoul were assigned to experimental and control groups, respectively, and then a nonequivalent control group design was conducted. The experimental group was provided with a six-step career group counseling program, including introduction, understanding personal and distal context, enhancing self-efficacy and outcome expectations, developing career interest, deciding on a career, and closing, for ten 45-minute sessions, twice a week. RESULTS First, results of two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed statistically significant changes in career decision self-efficacy (self-appraisal, occupational information, goal selection, planning, and problem-solving) and career attitude maturity (determination, certainty, and independence). Second, analysis of the outcome assessment by session showed the following positive results: consideration about the future after sports retirement, self-understanding, identification of jobs that fit aptitude, improvement of self-efficacy, having a positive mindset when switching careers, confidence in one’s preferred career, exploration into solutions to career barriers, understanding of preferred career, setting specific career goals, and deeper understanding of careers. CONCLUSIONS In sum, these findings indicate that the career counseling program had a positive effect on university athletes’ career development. We hope this study will serve as a catalyst to expand the discussion on retirement from sports and career development.
Purpose This study is a phenomenological research which tries to describe the subjective experience and to analyze multi-layered meanings, and it finds out the men's training experience and meaning. The purpose of this study is to investigate why the men do Yoga and what the subjective meaning of Yoga experience, and the study examines critically whether Yoga experience especially focused on women is against gender performance and dominant body discourse. Methods For the study, 6 middle & young-old aged men who do Yoga more than 6 months every week are selected as participants. Results The meaning of Yoga for middle & young-old aged men in their lives is as follows. First, it is hard for men to experience Yoga because of social and cultural background. Finding Yoga class which takes men's membership is difficult. Second, middle & young-old aged men's physical feature(interest in their health and disease) and personal background(women friendly daily life) become specific motivation to overcome the barrier to do Yoga. Third, Yoga is 'alterative training', not a training. Yoga is considered as a training which replaces the feature of training called men's sports previously. Fourth, Yoga has a meaning of 'healing' to have our own time. Fifth, Yoga is changed by itself in Yoga culture which is focused on women even though middle & young-old aged men do Yoga for a long time. Sixth, middle & young-old aged men realize that the feature of Yoga is not 'for only women', and they thought it is 'neutral training that men can do too.' Conclusion Consequently, the reason why middle & young-old aged men do Yoga is started from the motivation regarding physical characteristics and personal background, and the main purpose is to cure and to heal our bodies and mind. For them, Yoga means 'alternative training to fit their bodies' and 'their own time'. Moreover, old male adult's training experience and meaning are against gender performance in that it cause a crack in stereotyped gender sports area, but it is notable that there is no intention to resist the dominant gender body discourse.
