426 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Asian Journal of Education and Training Vol. 6, No. 3, 426-432, 2020 ISSN(E) 2519-5387 DOI: 10.20448/journal.522.2020.63.426.432 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group An Examination of the Athletic Identities of High School Students Anil Turkeli Faculty of Education Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Erzincan, Turkey. Abstract The aim of this study is to determine the athletic identities of elite student athletes engaging in individual and team sports in high schools. The study group consisted of 1034 elite student athletes, 302 female and 732 male. The mean age of the student athletes is 16.85 ± 1.87. Descriptive scanning model was used in the study. Personal Information Form and Athletic Identity Questionnaire (AIQ) were used to collect the data. In the analysis, first of all, the data were examined with SPSS22 to observe whether they showed normal distribution. Afterwards, of the parametric tests, Independent Samples T-test, One Way Anova test and correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the collected data. In terms of individual and team sports student athletes, a significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of total score of athletic identity and all sub-dimensions. As a result of the analysis, it was found that women student athletes, the ones who have athletic history in their families and national student athletes have a stronger athletic identity, and that the age of student athletes increases, the level of encouragement of the family decreases, in addition to this, it was concluded that student athletes doing individual sports, give more importance to their physical appearance, and the activity they do and feel more adequate when doing physical activities than team student athletes. Keywords: High school, Student athlete, Individual, Team, Sport, Athletic identity. Citation | Anil Turkeli (2020). An Examination of the Athletic Identities of High School Students. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 6(3): 426-432. History: Received: 10 April 2020 Revised: 14 May 2020 Accepted: 17 June 2020 Published: 23 June 2020 Licensed: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License Publisher: Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Acknowledgement: This research was carried out in a whole season. A large number of student athletes engaged in individual and team sports participated in the research. The fact that sampling is strong and there are few studies about athletic identity in the literature increases the importance of this study. I would like to thank all our student athletes who contributed to this study. Funding: This study received no specific financial support. Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Transparency: The author confirms that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study was reported; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. Ethical: This study follows all ethical practices during writing. Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................... 427 2. Method ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 427 3. Findings ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 428 4. Conclusion and Discussion ........................................................................................................................................................... 431 References ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 432 http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.20448/journal.522.2020.63.426.432&domain=pdf&date_stamp=2017-01-14 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ https://www.asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/1747 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-7759 https://www.asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/1747 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-7759 https://www.asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/1747 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-7759 Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 427 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Contribution of this paper to the literature A large number of student athletes engaged in individual and team sports participated in the research. The fact that sampling is strong and there are few studies about athletic identity in the literature increases the importance of this study. 1. Introduction Sport has an important place in the formation of people's identities and the integration process of the individual with the society. A person adapts to the society through sports and guarantees his / her material and spiritual development through sports. Identity is the fact of being who a person is and identifying oneself. Identity, which covers all aspects of an individual, is related to how one sees oneself and how he is seen by the society. In daily life, individuals are recognized by themselves and others by their identities. In other words, the features that distinguish a person from other people are tried to be revealed by identity. Since the social life of a person is understood by understanding who others are and who he is Jenkins (2014). Therefore, student athletes who adopt the sport as a lifestyle and do it at the top level form their athletic identity (Horton & Mack, 2000). Athletic identity is defined as how much an individual cares about and considers himself as a student athlete and it is an element of individual's perception of sport-specific self Aşçı, Cetinkalp, and Altıntaş (2014). In other words, the athletic identity, determined by the student athlete and affected by the environment, is an individual trait that is given importance and value by the individual (regular training, regular diet). The perception of sport identity is related to the extent to which the student athlete identifies himself with the sport. In addition, this perception is an important concept that affects the ways in which the student athlete copes with difficulties, action and decision-making processes (Horton & Mack, 2000). According to Danish, a strong athletic identity is essential for success and high level performance in sport. It is stated that individuals with strong athletic identity are more willing to participate in sports and exercise activities than individuals with weak athletic identity and perceive themselves more positively in the field of sports (Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993; Lamont-Mills & Christensen, 2006). A strong athletic identity contributes to the development of skills, sporting performance, confidence, self- perception, body image, health, physical fitness and social communication (Tasiemski, Kennedy, Gardner, & Blaikley, 2004). While Brewer, Van Raalte and Linder considered sport identity as a competitor, sport-specific psychological structure, Anderson considered athletic identity as a psychological structure specific to participation in exercise and physical activity as well as competition sports. Recent research has shown that a strong athletic identity has even more important place in individuals' lives (Watt & Moore, 2001). Student athletes with a strong athletic identity spend more time with their team mates and coaches and therefore they strengthen this identity much more (Horton & Mack, 2000). Families, friends, coaches, teachers and the media can all support this identity. As a result, being a student athlete is of great psychological importance for a student athlete to gain an athletic identity (Brewer et al., 1993). 2. Method 2.1. Research Model In this study, descriptive scanning model is used in which the individual or object that is the subject of the research is tried to be defined within its own conditions and as it exists. In the research, questionnaire technique was used as data collection technique. The questionnaire, which is a systematic data collection technique, is applied in the form of asking questions to people who form a study group on a specific subject and collecting the necessary information from them (Karasar, 2012). 2.2. Research Group The research group of the study consisted of 1034 elite student athletes in high schools, 302 female, 732 male, who engaged in individual and team sports in 2018-2019 season, were selected for easy individual sampling. The mean age of the student athletes was 16.85 ± 1.87. 2.3. Data Collection Tools Personal Information Form: The personal information form which was developed by the researcher consists of questions about the independent variables such as gender, educational status, age, age of being a licensed student athlete, national student athlete status, family income level and the status of having athletic background in family in order to gather information about the student athletes involved in the research. Athletic Identity Questionnaire (AIQ): AIQ is a measurement tool which was developed by Anderson, Masse, and Hergenroeder (2007) in order to evaluate the general sport identity of individuals in exercise, sports and physical activity environment and adapted to Turkish by Aşçı, Cetinkalp, and Altıntaş (2014). The scale consists of 40 items in which the judgments are made according to the 5-point evaluation step (1 = Strongly disagree-5 = Strongly agree) and includes four sub-dimensions: Appearance (5 items; for example, I look fit as a person exercising; my body looks in shape), Competence (6 items; e.g., I rely on my sporting skills), Importance commitment (8 items; for example, I love exercise), and Encouragement (21 items; for example, they encourage me to be physically active or to do exercise). The fourth sub-dimensions, “Encouragement”, is evaluated as family support (7 items), friend support (7 items) and the support of teachers/other adults (7 items) in itself. 2.4. Data Collection Process The data collection tools used in the study were applied to elite student athletes engaged in individual and team sports in 2018 and 2019 during the resting periods after obtaining the necessary permissions. Participation in the study was based on the principle of volunteering. In addition, the purpose of the survey was explained to the participants before the survey and the necessary warnings were made by specifying the points to be considered. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 428 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group The questionnaires collected were checked and incomplete or incorrectly filled questionnaires were not included in the study. 2.5. Data Analysis In the analysis of the data collected in the study, first of all, the data was examined to observe whether it showed normal distribution. Afterwards, of the parametric tests, Independent Samples T-test, One Way Anova test and correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the collected data. Significance level was taken as 0.05 in the study. 3. Findings Table-1. Total scores and sub-dimensions results of AIQ according to gender variable. Gender N Mean Sd df t p Appearance female 302 18,8576 4,25159 1032 ,866 ,387 male 732 19,1202 4,50921 Competence female 302 24,8278 5,09545 1032 1,797 ,073 male 732 24,1503 5,67586 Importance female 302 33,0430 6,77411 1032 2,005 ,045 male 732 32,0505 7,42211 Encouragement from family female 302 27,3477 5,96237 1032 2,340 ,019 male 732 26,3251 6,55573 Encouragement from best friends female 302 27,6523 6,40144 1032 ,860 ,390 male 732 27,2623 6,72843 Encouragement from teachers/other adults female 302 29,2815 5,52406 1032 3,270 ,001 male 732 27,9358 6,20820 Total female 302 161,0099 26,92891 1032 2,082 ,038 male 732 156,8443 30,15623 Note: *p < 0,05. In Table 1, No significant difference was found according to gender in sub-dimension of appearance (t(1032):,866; p>0,05). No significant difference was found according to gender in the sub-dimension of competence (t(1032):1,797; p>0,05).A significant difference was found in favor of female student athletes according to gender in the sub- dimension of importance (t(1032):2,005; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of female student athletes according to gender in the sub-dimension of encouragement from family (t(1032):2,340; p<0,05). No significant difference was found according to gender in the sub-dimension of encouragement from best friends (t(1032):,860; p>0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of female student athletes according to gender in the sub-dimension of encouragement from teachers/other adults (t(1032):3,270; p<0,05). No significant difference was found in the total score according to gender (t(1032):2,082; p>0,05). Table-2. Anova results according to education status variable. Sum of squares df Mean of squares F p Appearance Between Groups 103,771 3 34,590 1,762 ,153 Within Groups 20215,271 1030 19,626 Total 20319,042 1033 Competence Between Groups 71,916 3 23,972 ,787 ,501 Within Groups 31390,745 1030 30,476 Total 31462,662 1033 Importance Between Groups 379,510 3 126,503 2,417 ,065 Within Groups 53912,660 1030 52,342 Total 54292,170 1033 Encouragement from family Between Groups 301,050 3 100,350 2,459 ,061 Within Groups 42039,604 1030 40,815 Total 42340,655 1033 Encouragement from best friends Between Groups 208,095 3 69,365 1,579 ,193 Within Groups 45252,559 1030 43,935 Total 45460,655 1033 Encouragement from teachers/other adults Between Groups 117,329 3 39,110 1,071 ,361 Within Groups 37628,872 1030 36,533 Total 37746,201 1033 Total Between Groups 1899,904 3 633,301 ,737 ,530 Within Groups 884855,257 1030 859,083 Total 886755,162 1033 Note: *p < 0,05. In Table 2, No significant difference was found according to the education status in the sub-dimension of appearance (F(3,1030): 1,762; p>0,05). No significant difference was found according to the education status in the sub-dimension of competence (F(3,1030): ,787; p>0,05). Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 429 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group No significant difference was found according to education status in the sub-dimension of importance (F(3,1030):2,417; p>0,05). No significant difference was found according to educational status in the sub-dimension of encouragement from family (F(3,1030):2,459; p>0,05). No significant difference was found according to educational status in the sub-dimension of encouragement from best friends (F(3,1030): 1,579; p>0,05). No significant difference was found and other adults according to educational status in the sub-dimension of encouragement from teachers/other adults (F(3,1030): 1,071; p>0,05). No significant difference was found in the total score of the athletic identity according to the education status of the participants in Anova analysis (F(3,1030): ,737; p>0,05). Table-3. Correlation results according to age variable. Age Appearance Competence Importance Encouragement from family Encouragement from best friends Encouragement from teachers/other adults Total Age Correlation 1 ,005 -,007 -,04 -,063* ,054 -,021 ,017 p ,868 ,830 ,149 ,042 ,081 ,505 ,576 n 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 In Table 3, a significant negative correlation was found between age and encouragement from family at low level. Table-4. Sub-dimensions and total score results of AIQ according to age of licensed student athlete variable. Appearance Competence Importance Encouragement from family Encouragement from best friends Encouragement from teachers/other adults Total Age of Licensed Student athlete Pearson Correlation ,115** ,073* ,057 ,064* ,069* ,033 ,082** Sig. (2-tailed) ,000 ,019 ,069 ,038 ,027 ,291 ,009 N 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 In Table 4, a significant positive correlation was found between age of being licensed student athlete and appearance, competence, encouragement from family, encouragement from best friends and total score at low level. Table-5. Sub-dimensions and total score results of AIQ according to the status of being a national student athlete variable. Status of being a National Student athlete N Mean Sd df t p Appearance yes 195 20,7538 3,73765 1031 6,091 ,000 no 838 18,6420 4,49274 Competence yes 195 25,7641 4,65797 1031 4,010 ,000 no 838 24,0167 5,65514 Importance yes 195 34,4103 5,89127 1031 4,476 ,000 no 838 31,8532 7,45380 Encouragement from family yes 195 28,4974 5,50386 1031 4,588 ,000 no 838 26,1838 6,52224 Encouragement from best friends yes 195 28,7436 5,51716 1031 3,215 ,001 no 838 27,0549 6,83458 Encouragement from teachers/other adults yes 195 29,4769 5,67262 1031 2,964 ,003 no 838 28,0573 6,10259 Total yes 195 167,6462 24,94763 1031 5,143 ,000 no 838 155,8079 29,80390 Note: *p < 0,05. In Table 5, A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of appearance (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of competence (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of importance (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of encouragement from family (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of encouragement from best friends (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete in the sub-dimension of encouragement from teachers/other adults (t(1031):,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of national student athletes according to the status of being a national student athlete on the basis of total score t(1031):,000; p<0,05). Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 430 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Table-6. Sub-dimensions and total score results of AIQ according to family income level variable. Appearance Competence Importance Encouragement from family Encouragement from best friends Encouragement from teachers/other adults Total Family Income Level Pearson Correlation ,203** ,131** ,136** ,203** ,149** ,136** ,196** Sig. (2- tailed) ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000 N 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 1034 In Table 6, a low of level positive meaningful relation was found between the family income level and the sub- dimensions scores of appearance, competence, importance, encouragement from family, encouragement from best friends, encouragement from teachers/other adults and total score. Table-7. Sub-dimensions and total score results of AIQ according to having an athletic background in family variable. Having an Athletic Background in Family N Mean Sd df t p Appearance yes 409 19,9291 3,72556 1031 5,300 ,000 no 624 18,4535 4,75443 Competence yes 409 25,6577 4,51579 1031 6,310 ,000 no 624 23,4824 5,93596 Importance yes 409 33,9120 5,99363 1031 5,751 ,000 no 624 31,2997 7,80017 Encouragement from family yes 409 28,5012 5,60336 1031 7,868 ,000 no 624 25,3862 6,59709 Encouragement from best friends yes 409 28,5281 6,27786 1031 4,570 ,000 no 624 26,6170 6,76022 Encouragement from teachers/other adults yes 409 29,4914 5,19196 1031 5,093 ,000 no 624 27,5561 6,43252 Total yes 409 166,0196 23,42258 1031 7,271 ,000 no 624 152,7949 31,51477 Note: *p < 0,05. In Table 7, A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in of appearance (t(1031):5,300; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in sub-dimension of competence (t(1031):6,310; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in sub-dimension of importance (t(1031):5,751; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in sub-dimension of encouragement from family (t(1031):7,868; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in sub-dimension of encouragement from best friends (t(1031):4,570; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family in sub-dimension of encouragement from teachers/other adults (t(1031):5,093; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of those with athletic background in family according to total score of athletic identity (t(1031): 7,271; p<0,05). Table-8. Sub-dimensions and total score results of AIQ according to doing individual and team sports variable. N Mean Sd df t p Appearance Individual Sports 311 19,6720 4,05707 1032 3,000 ,003 Team Sports 723 18,7732 4,56422 Competence Individual Sports 311 26,1833 4,68303 1032 7,182 ,000 Team Sports 723 23,5588 5,66447 Importance Individual Sports 311 34,4084 6,11269 1032 6,121 ,000 Team Sports 723 31,4509 7,51794 Encouragement from family Individual Sports 311 27,2219 6,09645 1032 1,973 ,049 Team Sports 723 26,3665 6,51653 Encouragement from best friends Individual Sports 311 28,4502 7,15338 1032 3,432 ,001 Team Sports 723 26,9142 6,34693 Encouragement from teachers/other adults Individual Sports 311 29,1576 6,21166 1032 2,902 ,004 Team Sports 723 27,9723 5,94055 Total Individual Sports 311 165,0932 25,39890 1032 5,123 ,000 Team Sports 723 155,0360 30,34376 Note: *p < 0,05. In Table 8, Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 431 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in the sub-dimension of appearance (t(1032): 3,000; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in sub-dimension of competence (t(1032): 7,182; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in the sub-dimension of importance (t(1032): 6,121; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in the sub-dimension of encouragement from family (t(1032): 1,973; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in the sub-dimension of encouragement from best friends (t(1032): 3,432; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports in the sub-dimension of encouragement from teachers/other adults (t(1032): 2,902; p<0,05). A significant difference was found in favor of individual student athletes in terms of individual and team sports according to total score of athletic identity (t(1032): 5,123; p<0,05). 4. Conclusion and Discussion As a result, no significant difference was found in the total score of athletic identity according to gender and education status. However, it has been determined that in the sub-dimensions of importance, encouragement from family and encouragement from teachers/other adults, there is a significant difference in favor of female student athletes. This result can be said that female student athletes do their job in a more serious and self-sacrificing way, taking into account the discourse of the people they care about in their immediate environment. When the related literature is examined, it is observed that the scores of the athletic identity do not differ according to the gender variable; in other words, being female or male is not a determinant in determining the level of athletic identity is in parallel with the results of the studies conducted by Can and Kaçay (2016); Cetinkaya (2015); Lantz and Schroeder (1999); Martin, Adams-Mushett, and Smith (1995); Murphy, Petitpas, and Brewer (1996); Saraç and Toprak (2017); Senger (2017); Yanar, Kırandı, and Yusuf (2017). In contrast to the results of many studies in the literature, in the study conducted by Tasiemski et al. (2004) it was found that athletic identity scores differ significantly in favor of men. In the study results conducted by Anderson., Mâsse, Zhang, Coleman, and Chang (2011) on children and adolescents results similar to the findings of our study were reached and found that the variables of gender and educational status do not have an impact on the identity of student athletes. While there was no significant relationship between the age of the participants and the total score of sport identity, a negative relationship was found in the sub-dimensions of encouragement from family at low level. It can be said that as the age of the student athletes increases, the level of encouragement from family decreases. That the result of athletic identity scores do not differ according to the age variable in the study of Karakaş. (2017) on the student athletes between the ages of 16-28 and in the study of Wiechman and Williams (1997) on high school student athletes is consistent with the findings of this study. According to the age of being a licensed student athlete, a significant positive correlation was found in the total score and sub-dimensions of athletic identity at low level. As the age of individual and team student athletes’ being licensed student athletes increases, their athletic identities increase. When the literature examined, in the study of Oregon (2010) any significant difference between the duration of schooling and the identity of student athletes during school years couldn’t be found. Adler and Adler (1991) on the other hand, indicate that with the advancement of student and sports experience, athletic identity will be strengthened. A significant relationship was determined in favor of national student athletes in total score and sub- dimensions of athletic identity. According to this result, national sportsmen have a higher level of athletic identity than non-national sportsmen. Cetinkaya (2015) in his study on student athletes engaged in team sport, states that participants who are national team student athletes have lower identity levels than those who are not national team student athletes, but the difference is not significant. Sellers and Kuperminc (1997) stated that young student athletes take elite student athletes who play in the national team as role models in their study. The researchers concluded that this situation will contribute positively to the identity of the student athlete. We can consider this situation as a motivating factor for strengthening the identity of student athletes for young student athletes. A significant positive correlation was found in the total score and sub-dimensions of athletic identity at the level of family income at low level. As the family income level of the student athletes increases, so does their athletic identity. In the total score and sub-dimensions of the athletic identity, a significant relationship was found in favor of those with athletic background in family. The student athletes who have athletic background in their families have a strong athletic identity. Student athletes with a strong athletic identity contribute to the development of skills, sporting performance, confidence, self-perception, body image, health, physical fitness and social communication. A significant difference was found in favor of individual sports in terms of total and sub- dimensions according to individual and team sports. It was concluded that student athletes doing individual sports, give more importance to their physical appearance, and the activity they do and feel more adequate when doing physical activities than team student athletes. There are not many studies on athletic identity and sports branches in the related literature. In the study conducted by Cetinkaya. (2010) on student athletes-students, which is thought to be related to the results of this study, it was found that the athletic identities of the team student athletes were higher than the student athletes who do individual sports. This situation can be interpreted as the friendship environment and the social sharing in team sports support the identity much more. It can be argued that the prediction that the human being, as a social being, will tend to the values of the group she interacts with in the field of sports as in other fields. The prediction that the human, as a social being, will tend to the values of the group s/he interacts with in the field of sports as in other fields can be advocated. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2020, 6(3): 426-432 432 © 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group References Adler, P. A., & Adler, P. (1991). Backboards & blackboards: College athletics and role engulfment: Columbia University Press. Anderson, C. 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