Multi-national perceptions on challenges, opportunities, and support structures for Dual Career migrations in European student- athletes

Despite Dual Careers (sports and education) and mobility of students being priorities in the funding policies of the European Commission, migrating student-athletes report severe challenges and decreased performance or dropouts at sport and academic levels. The objective of this study was to depict and assess the perceptions on challenges, support ser- vices, and their effectiveness in consideration of specific characteristics of participants and migrations. Based on a meta-synthesis and previous findings, a 50-items questionnaire was developed and completed by 245 student-athletes in 5 European countries. Participants with Dual Careers migration experience (n = 140) were considered for analyses of qualita- tive and quantitative (ordinal 5pt-Likert-scaled and metric) data on the Dual Career status, migration characteristics, received services, and outcomes. Chi-square-tests were con- ducted for differences between countries and genders at a significance level of p < .05. Country-related differences were found for experiences and intentions to migrate (X2(12) = 50.52, p<0.001), duration of the migration (X2(16) = 38.20, p = 0.001), financial support(X2(8) = 29.87, p<0.001), and decreased performances in academics (X2(16) = 56.12, p<0.001) and sports (X2(16) = 31.79, p = 0.01). Gender-related difference emerged in finan- cial support (X2(4) = 10.68, p = 0.03), duration of the migration (X2(4) = 14.56, p = 0.01), and decreased academic performance (X2(4) = 10.57, p = 0.03). Tutoring and counselling sup- port was ranked as the most effective support, especially when received from the academic field (4.0±1.0 pt) and others (4.1±0.8 pt), followed by online services from sport and aca- demic sectors (both: 3.9±0.9 pt). Considering the pervasive globalization of sport and edu- cation, Dual Career migration can contribute to the development of a European sport culture. The high ratio of migrating student-athletes underlines the relevance of migrations in the field of Dual Careers. This study contributes to the literature by adding insights on practices, challenges, supports, and outcomes perceived by student-athletes migrating in Europe. Moreover, country- and gender-related differences support the consideration of specific characteristics and reveal critical factors in specific target groups. The findings con- tribute to identifying requirements and effective support measures in Dual Career migrations and can be used to improve support services.