A Case study of the psychological transformation process of a reserve college student athlete engaging in cheering activities

: Focusing on narrative

Abstract

The purposes of this study were ①to clarify the psychological transformation process through cheering activities based on the narrative of a reserve college student athlete engaged in team cheering activities, and

②to present the hypothetical knowledge which represent the significance of cheering activities and contribute to better sports fields. A semi-structured interview was conducted with one reserve college student athlete to explore how he had recognized cheering activities. Data were analyzed using the Qualitative Synthesis Method.

A schematic diagram of the psychological transformation process of the reserve college student athlete was generated based on the 13 labels gathered through the analysis. The following four outcomes were derived from the schematic diagram: 1) the promotion of psychological maturity by adapting to the psychological conflict caused by cheering activities, 2) the possibility that collective cohesion and collective efficacy improved through cheering activities, 3) the probability that cheering activities could be an opportunity to develop sports selfmanagement skills, and 4) the visualization of the psychological transformation process of the reserve college student athlete through the cheering activities. These outcomes are expected to contribute to maintaining the motivation of reserve college student athletes and promoting their participation in cheering activities, improving the team feeling, and their psychological maturity through cheering activities.