Brazilian student-athletes' perceived possession of dual career competencies

Dual career is defined as a career with the major foci on sport and studies or work. Dual career competencies are all the skills and attitudes that allow athletes to balance their educational development to their sports careers. This study aimed to investigate the differences in perceived possession of competencies (Dual Career Management; Career Plan; Emotional Awareness; Social Intelligence and Adaptability) between Brazilian student-athletes of both sexes, types of educational institutions (TEI) – private and public, and educational level (EL) – secondary and higher education. 745 Brazilian student-athletes (Mage = 17.3 ± 5.4; 54% female; 8% student-athletes with disabilities) completed the Brazilian version of the Dual Career Competency Questionnaire for Athletes. The results showed statistically significant outcomes in the main effect for sex and EL. Female student-athletes from public TEI (M = 4.23 + 0.38) presented higher perceived possession for Dual Career Management when compared to male student-athletes from the same categorization of TEI (M = 4.03 + 0.04). Female student-athletes from private TEI reported lower perceived possession for Emotional Awareness (M = 3.73 + 0.04). The results of this investigation can support (1) coaches, family, stakeholders in general and the student-athletes themselves in better grasping and optimizing their attitudes towards dual career and (2) researchers advance knowledge in this very recent area in Brazil. Keywords: dual career, student-athlete, competencies, education, sports training