An Application of Socialization Resources Theory: Collegiate Student

Student-athletes’ adjustment to their collegiate teams is noted as especially difficult but is also underdeveloped as a topic of research. This article uses Socialization Resources theory to argue that student-athletes’ leader-member exchanges with coaches and team-member exchanges with teammates provide them with important resources that assist in their socialization. Data collected from 160 Division-I student-athletes from five universities demonstrated that portions of their understandings of team history, politics, and values and goals are accounted for by their exchange relationships. In particular, exchanges with assistant coaches and teammates appear to be most salient within student-athletes’ socialization process. As such, this article provides insight regarding the social dynamics that shape collegiate athletes’ understandings of their environments