Merged identity of student-athletes and achievement goals across school and sport

ABSTRACT Student-athletes balance two demanding roles as students and athletes. The current study tested whether student-athletes that saw these roles as merged (i.e. merged identity) were more likely to have similar motivation for school and sport. Collegiate student-athletes (N = 76) completed online surveys assessing merged identity (using a novel measure with pictorial and open-ended response elements) and achievement goals. Cluster analyses identified students with similar motivational profiles in academics and athletics. Students higher on the merged identity measure were more likely to report matching motivational profiles. Results shed light on the role identity plays in student-athletes’ motivation across domains.