Student-Athletes and Sports Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Edmedia Educational Platform for Training and Promoting Dual Career on Social Media

Abstract

Elite athletes face challenges in developing Dual Careers, despite the potential benefits for their future employment. Successful implementation of Dual Careers requires awareness of their importance by both athletes and their environments. Thus, student-athletes with strong Social Media influence should leverage their platforms to support and highlight the significance of balancing sports and academics (Dual Career), thereby enhancing their future prospects after their sports careers. In this context, the EdMedia educational platform was developed to promote Dual Careers and institutional support policies through social media, as well as to train and connect student-athletes with media specialists, coaches, and other sports stakeholders. After the implementation of the program and the platform, a quantitative approach was used through a questionnaire with previously validated scales and high reliability indexes, measuring variables such as usability, learning effectiveness, satisfaction and perception of the contents. One hundred and forty student-athletes and 111 sports stakeholders from six European countries participated in the evaluation of the platform. The results revealed how both groups perceived different aspects of online educational platform, and identified which aspects most influenced the effectiveness of the online educational experience. These findings are valuable for improving the platform’s role in promoting Dual Careers through social media, increasing awareness of the importance and benefits of pursuing a Dual Career, and the support required from academic and sporting institutions. Finally, the study offers some practical implications for improving the design of online educational platforms, providing a model that combines information and academic and sports training, and highlights the importance of involving key stakeholders in the promotion of Dual Career through social media.