공업계 특성화고 e-스포츠 학생 선수의 수행 경험에 대한 질적 탐색: 정체성과 진로 형성을 중심으로 = A Qualitative Study on the Performance Experiences of e-Sports Student-Athletes in Vocational High Schools: Identity Formation and Career Development

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: This study aims to qualitatively explore the performance experiences of student-athletes in an e-sports team at a vocational high school and to understand how these experiences are connected to the processes of identity formation and the development of career perceptions. To achieve this, eight student-athletes from the e-sports team at T Technical High School located in G Metropolitan City were selected as research participants. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures.
Methods: The findings of this study are as follows. First, student-athletes tended to choose their schools based on the presence of e-sports activities rather than on major-centered career pathways, and their school lives were reorganized around performance experiences. Second, performance experiences, characterized by the integration of competition and training, were found to function as a process of identity formation through which student-athletes came to perceive themselves as “athletes.” Third, performance experiences interacted with changes in parental perceptions, leading to an expansion of career perceptions, and through this process, students explored a variety of career possibilities.
Results: The analysis yielded three categories. First, student-athletes selected their schools based on the availability of e-sports activities rather than academic majors, and their school lives were reorganized around performance experiences.
Second, performance experiences combining competition and training contributed to the formation of an athletic identity, through which students came to perceive themselves as “players.” Third, these performance experiences interacted with changes in parental perceptions, leading to the expansion of career awareness, and students explored diverse career possibilities through this process.
Conclusion: In conclusion, participation in e-sports teams functions not merely as a leisure activity but as an educational experience that shapes and expands students’ identity and career perceptions through performance-based experiences. In particular, e-sports performance experiences hold educational significance in that they influence students’ identity and career development in ways that differ from traditional physical education activities.