Information Sheet – Parental and Institutional Participants (ISA)
Project Title: NZ International Student-Athletes in U.S. Collegiate Sport
Kia Ora,
You are invited to take part in a research study on the experiences of New Zealand athletes in U.S. collegiate sport. Participation is entirely your choice, and you are welcome to take as much time as you need to decide. Please read this Information Sheet carefully before deciding whether to take part.
What is the purpose of this research?
This project is the first systematic examination of New Zealand international student-athletes (NZ-ISAs) in U.S. collegiate sport — across the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, and CRAA/NRA governance structures. It investigates the decisions, demands, and institutional structures shaping athlete experience across four phases of the collegiate transition: recruitment, entry, tenure, and exit. The research is grounded in a systems perspective: it is not focused on individual performance, but on what the collegiate pathway promises, what it delivers, and what athletes carry forward when it ends.
Approximately 60–80 participants are expected to take part across both New Zealand and the United States.
This research is conducted as a postdoctoral project under the auspices of Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand (AUT). It is supported by a Fulbright New Zealand Postdoctoral Research Award (2026/27) and conducted in collaboration with Illinois State University (ISU), Normal, Illinois, U.S.A.
Findings may be used for academic publications, industry reports, and presentations at academic and practitioner events in New Zealand and the United States.
How was I identified and why am I being invited to participate?
You have been invited because you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident who has committed to, been enrolled in, or has exited a U.S. collegiate sport programme. You may have been contacted directly by the researcher, reached through a network connection, referred by a peer or fellow NZ athlete, identified through a NZ sporting organisation, or identified through a public social media forum.
Inclusion criteria: You are eligible to participate if you:
are a NZ citizen or permanent resident.
Compete or have competed in one of the following sports at a U.S. collegiate programme: basketball, football (soccer), rugby, athletics (track and field and XC), swimming or softball.
are currently enrolled in AY2026/27, or exited from a U.S. collegiate programme in or after AY2023/24
This includes athletes who are currently enrolled, have graduated, transferred, or returned to New Zealand.
How do I agree to participate?
If you would like to take part, please contact the researcher using the details at the end of this sheet. You will be sent a Consent Form to complete before the interview takes place.
Your participation in this research is voluntary — it is your choice — and whether you choose to participate will neither advantage nor disadvantage you. You can withdraw from the study at any time by informing the researcher. If you withdraw, information collected up until your withdrawal will continue to be used to protect the quality of the research, unless you request that it be deleted. You can withdraw your data up to 45 days following your interview, after which your data will have been incorporated into the analysis process and withdrawal of individual contributions will no longer be practicable. You can also choose not to answer any question during the interview without affecting your participation. If you consent to your contact details being retained, these will be stored separately from your interview data and used only for follow-up clarification or to facilitate longitudinal contact at a later stage of the project.
What will my participation involve?
You are invited to take part in a one-to-one interview with the researcher. The interview will take approximately 45–60 minutes and will be conducted in person or via Microsoft Teams, according to your preference. For in-person interviews, the location will be a suitable place of your choosing. In selecting a location, we ask that you consider both your own comfort and safety, and the need for a reasonable degree of privacy given the personal nature of the conversation.
The interview is conversational. You will be invited to tell your story — about the decision to pursue collegiate sport, what the experience has been like, the people and systems around you, and what comes next. There are no right or wrong answers. You will be asked about themes including:
● your recruitment experience and the decision to pursue U.S. collegiate sport
● your adjustment to the collegiate environment — academic, athletic, and personal
● the support available to you, and where gaps existed
● what the experience has meant to you and what you carry forward from it
With your consent, the interview will be audio-recorded using Vibe, an AUT-approved AI-assisted transcription tool. The recording will be transcribed and then deleted. You will be identified by a pseudonym throughout all analysis and reporting.
What are the benefits?
There is no direct benefit to you from participating. The broader benefit is to the NZ collegiate athlete community: this research will produce evidence-based findings and resources for athletes, families, NZ sporting organisations, and U.S. collegiate institutions — improving how the pathway is understood, navigated, and supported.
What are the costs?
Participation will require approximately 45–60 minutes of your time for the interview. There are no financial costs to participating. Travel costs, where applicable for in-person interviews, will be discussed with you in advance.
Will the results of the study be published?
The findings of this research will be published in academic journals and presented at academic and practitioner events in New Zealand and the United States. Results will also be included in industry reports for NZ sporting organisations and U.S. collegiate institutions. You will not be identifiable in any publication or report. A summary of the findings will also be posted on the researcher’s website – www.continuumhub.co.nz/fulbright-project.
What are the discomforts and risks?
The interview is low risk. Some topics — including selection decisions, scholarship changes, coaching relationships, and exit circumstances — may be sensitive. You are under no obligation to discuss anything you are not comfortable sharing, and the interview will be conducted with care and respect.
If you are a current student-athlete, please be assured that no data will be shared with coaching staff, athletic department personnel, or institutional administrators in identifiable form. Your participation will not affect your standing, scholarship, or eligibility.
If anything discussed during the interview raises concerns for your personal wellbeing, the researcher will provide information about relevant support services.
What will happen to information about me?
Your interview data is individually identifiable at the point of collection (your voice will be recorded). Following transcription, the recording will be deleted. You will be assigned a pseudonym, and any identifying details — your specific sport, institution, or circumstances — will be generalised or omitted in analysis and reporting.
Data will be stored securely on password-protected, institution-approved platforms at AUT and ISU, in accordance with AUT and ISU research data management policies. The list linking your name to your pseudonym will be kept separately from your data and accessible only to the researcher and supervisor. All data will be retained for a minimum of six years following publication.
Only consented interview data will be directly quoted in publications and reports. Where a direct quote could identify you despite your pseudonym, the researcher will make reasonable efforts to seek your confirmation before use, if you have indicated this preference on the Consent Form.
It is important to be aware that in small, interconnected communities — such as the NZ collegiate sport context — limited confidentiality applies. This will be discussed with you openly before you consent.
Your information will only be used for this research project. Identifiable information will not be disclosed outside of the research team without your permission, or as required by law. You have the right to request access to your information held by the research team, and to request that any information you disagree with is corrected.
Use of AI tools
Vibe (an AUT-approved AI-assisted tool) will be used to transcribe your interview recording. All transcripts will be reviewed and verified by the researcher before use. The recording will be deleted following verified transcription. No identifiable participant data will be entered into any AI platform beyond this transcription tool.
What opportunity do I have to consider this invitation?
You are encouraged to take at least two weeks to consider whether you would like to take part. There is no obligation to decide immediately. If you have any questions before deciding, please contact the researcher using the details below.
Will I receive feedback on the results of this research?
Yes. If you request a summary of the research findings on your Consent Form, the researcher will send this to you on completion of the study. Please indicate your preference on the Consent Form.
Who do I contact for further information or concerns about this research?
Any concerns regarding the nature of this project should be notified in the first instance to the Project Supervisor.
AUTEC Authority
Executive Secretary of AUTEC | Email: ethics@aut.ac.nz | Phone: (+649) 921 9999 ext. 6038
Researcher:
Dr Pip Thomas | Postdoctoral Researcher, AUT | pip.gthomas@aut.ac.nz |
Supervisor:
Dr Simon Walters | Auckland University of Technology, NZ | simon.walters@aut.ac.nz | +64 9 921 9999
Authority
Approved by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee on 23 June 2026.
AUTEC Reference number 26/147