Recommended Educational Experiences for High School Athletic Directors (ADs)

Abstract

A national study of 400 high school principals was conducted to determine their recommendations in terms of the most appropriate informal and formal education (experiences) for would-be high school athletics directors. Specifically, the principals were asked to rate each of 19 items/questions relating to formal or informal education efforts or achievements by means of a 5-point likert scale. A secondary purpose was to ascertain how the respondents rated each of the then proposed sport management core content areas (areas of formal course work), as recommended by the Sport Management Program Review Council. Only two core content areas -- (1) legal aspects of sport and (2) budget and finance in sport -- were deemed to be essential or very important by a majority of 233 respondents (58.25% return). The formal course work that the largest number of principals felt was not very important/irrelevant was research in sport.