Dual Pathways: Between Secondary Schooling and High-Performance Sport in Adolescent Athletes

Abstract

The articulation between secondary schooling and high-performance sport remains a persistent challenge in Latin American educational systems. This research, developed as part of a master's thesis, analyzes the dual pathways of adolescent athletes who participated in international competitions, exploring the strategies they deploy to sustain their educational trajectories and the institutional responses that enable or hinder such compatibility. Using a qualitative hermeneutic approach, the study employed semi-structured interviews, open-ended surveys, and document analysis, triangulating sources to strengthen interpretive validity. Fieldwork included all Argentine athletes that represented the Argentine Olympic Committee for the Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010, representing one of the first empirical approaches to this phenomenon. Later methodological references are incorporated to contrast approaches and reaffirm the relevance of the issues addressed. The findings reveal structural tensions, subjective decisions, and institutional conditions shaping dual pathways, contributing to the development of inclusive educational policies and inter-institutional dialogue.