Character Development in Intercollegiate Athletics: A Phenomenological Investigation of NCAA Division III and NAIA Head Coaches

The extent to which sports build character is an increasingly contested topic, and scholarship has recently been focused on how coaches may (or may not) facilitate character development in their programs. Although existing literature examines coaches in youth sport and “big-time” college athletic programs, research on coaches in smaller programs (i.e., NCAA Division III and NAIA) remains scant. This phenomenological study seeks to better understand what character development means to coaches in this context. Implications of findings for small college athletic programs are discussed.