Approach to Research

My research investigates the nexus of sport and human development through inquiry-based qualitative methods that incorporate multiple perspectives. When sport is intentionally designed and delivered, it can be a powerful tool for promoting holistic development (e.g., intellectual, social, emotional, physical, moral) across the lifespan. Though college sport holds significant potential to enhance developmental outcomes, its ability to do so remains limited for participants.

Guided by a bioecological approach, I explore how individuals experience development within layered, evolving sport environments. My work is unified by a commitment to understanding how structure and delivery shape athlete experience. I approach this inquiry through a critical constructivist epistemology, a differential ontology, and a pragmatic methodology, while linking projects through a rhizomatic logic that resists linearity and embraces the complexity of sport and educational systems.

My research focuses on two interconnected lines of inquiry:

Intercollegiate athletics, with an emphasis on institutional policy, governance, athlete agency, and tensions between education and performance;
Collegiate sport clubs, with an emphasis on organizational design, role negotiation, boundary spanning, and developmental opportunity.

Across both contexts, my work investigates the following key questions, aligned with a bioecological approach:

Process: How do the interactions and experiences within college sport settings shape athletes' academic, athletic, and personal development?
Person: How do individual characteristics shape athletes' experiences, identity development, and role negotiation within sport environments?
Context: How do nested systems collectively impact athlete experience and opportunity?
Time: How do changes, disruptions, and developmental timing influence outcomes over time?

By integrating bioecological and rhizomatic orientations, my research provides a dynamic and critical perspective on how college sport operates as an educational mechanism and a site of institutional complexity. I employ a range of qualitative methods (e.g., document analysis, interviews, and Delphi techniques) to elevate underrepresented voices and promote student-centered, evidence-based practices in sport and higher education.