Graduation Term

Summer 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Sociology

Committee Chair

Aaron Pitluck

Committee Member

Wilbert Leonard

Committee Member

Frank Beck

Abstract

Institutional agents play a crucial role in shaping youth development. While the institutional agent framework is well established in postsecondary research, less is known about its role during mid-adolescence. Using relational ethnography and responsive interviewing, this study compares an urban and a suburban high school in minority-majority neighborhoods in Cook County, Illinois, to explore how development is influenced through relationships between sport coaches and high school athletes. Athletes in both contexts face significant challenges tied to neighborhood conditions and socioeconomic status. In response, coaches form deeply caring and supportive relationships, though their roles diverge in ways shaped by their urban and suburban contexts. The findings challenge prevailing assumptions surrounding urban and suburban disadvantage, drawing on the narratives of coaches and athletes to reveal distinct yet equally complex dynamics shaping development. This analysis extends Stanton-Salazar’s framework of institutional agents into the realm of high school athletics, offering new insight into the mechanisms that support or constrain development across varied social settings.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD.1763755359.078862

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