Qualitative analysis of variables that contribute to the academic success of freshman student-athletes at a football championship subdivision university (original) (raw)
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From the playing field to the classroom: The academic challenges for NCAA Division I athletes
Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 2019
Student-athlete graduation rates have significantly increased in recent years, with the NCAA believing their retention and graduation rates now outpace the general college student population. Even with these promising changes, studentathletes still face a litany of academic challenges during their higher education experience. The purpose of this study is to overview these academic challenges and provide potential remedies for universities and athletic department to assist student-athletes during their educational journey. The challenges reviewed in this study include: athletic identity, admissions, first-year experience, student-athlete relationship with the athletic department, academic clustering and time constraints, stereotypes of studentathletes, and student-athlete burnout. Recommendations include improving campus connections, both inside and outside the athletic department, establishing an academic advising model for athletic advisors, and implementing a summer bridge program for incoming student-athletes.
Individual and institutional challenges facing student athletes on U.S. college campuses
Student athletes face challenges of individual nature including their personal involvement in academic oriented activities, time constraints, class attendance, personal goal setting and career choices, physical and emotional fatigue, transition to college environment and academic grades, as well as external ones such as coach demands, institutional policies, discrimination; marginalization from college mainstream activities; college mission and learning environment, and eligibility demands from National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is prudent for college administrators to purposely create an accommodating learning environment as well as striving to integrate the student athletes into college wide activities.
Comparing University Athletes and Nonathletes on Attitudes and Perceptions. Research Report #5-97
1997
With a goal of forming interventions and programs to address needs of student athletes (such as group and individual career interventions as well as time management training), this study compared attitudes of 73 freshman athletes and 73 nonathlete freshmen at the University of Maryland toward their college experience. A questionnaire concerning the students' expectations and attitudes about college was administered and analyzed using chi square and multivariate analysis of variance. The athletes included football, basketball, lacrosse, tennis and baseball players. The group included 51 White/Caucasians, 17 African Americans, 2 Asian Americans, 2 biracial, and 1 Hispanic student. They ranged in age from 17 to 22; 51 were male and 21 were female. The nonathlete group included a nearly equal number of males and females, fewer African Americans and more Asian/Asian Americans. Among some of the results, the data suggested that freshman athletes were significantly more likely than their nonathlete counterparts to report: (1) difficulty in getting good grades, (2) greater career confusion, (3) a lack of time as a barrier to college adjustment, (4) an easier time obtaining leadership skills, and (5) less concern in paying for their education. (Contains 15 references.) (DM)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Kern County public high school student-athletes are an underdeveloped population in California. They need an efficient transition process that is concentrated on gaining access to postsecondary education opportunities through sport participation. The proposed program aims to encourage student-athletes to focus on education for life after sports while staying motivated on high school athletics to gain college entrance and the benefits that sports participation can offer. The proposal will provided a few areas of concentration for Kern High School District (KHSD) to consider. The areas include the collaborated efforts form athletes, coaches and parents; social influences of student-athletes in high school; and fostering the correlation of athletic participation and academic success. The research has identified that each of these areas has been studied and serves as an important part of student-athlete success in high school to college transition. Through analysis it is recommended that KHSD implement a student-athlete development program. Further, the program will be unique to each high school, and standards will be made for increasing graduation and proficiency rates, and a collective effort from the “athletic triangle” will increase student-athlete postsecondary entrance. The goals and objectives will be set from the previous years results. Feedback from all public high schools will be circulated around the district to create a more comprehensive program.
How College Affects Student Athletes
New Directions for Student Services, 2001
Learning that describe the desired outcomes of college for student athletes. Finally, the chapter discusses implications for policies and practices that address the critical needs of student athletes.
Exploration of first-generation student-athlete experiences at a suburban Division III institution
2020
The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the experiences of firstgeneration student-athletes (FGSA) on a college campus. One major goal of this study is to offer new discussion for first-generation student-athletes to increase awareness on this population in current literature. While there is research on first-generation students and collegiate student-athletes as separate identities, this specific population, combining both identities, has not been at the forefront of scholarly research (Oratagus & Merson, 2015). By expanding the current literature with evidence-based research, student affairs professionals and college athletic administrators can better enhance the experiences of first-generation student-athletes on their campuses. Findings from this study suggest that first-generation student-athletes are thriving, unique educational pioneers, who are motivated by their families and their own athletic and academic ambitions. Findings also challenge previous notions that first-generation students have lower educational aspirations. Attending college as a first-generation student while participating on a varsity team positively affects all aspects of the college experience. While these students arrive onto campus unaware of the expectations academically and athletically, they also adapt quicker and have more of a seamless transition because of athletics. Recommendations for further practices and research are also suggested. vi
NASPA Journal, 2007
Research investigating the disengagement experiences of high school athletes and their subsequent adjustment to the college environment has been limited at best. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the differences in college adjustment patterns and reported athletic identity of first-year college males and females (N=317). Three status groups were used in this study: retired high school senior athletes (n=125), high school senior non-athletes (n=106), and current college varsity athletes (n=78). Significant differences were observed between the three athletic status groups where retired high senior athletes had significantly different athletic identity scores than both college athletes and high school non-athletes. Freshman females reported higher academic adjustment than males in the total sample. For retired high school senior athletes, both gender and athletic identity differences were found. For this group, there were differences in college adjustment related to the nature of retirement decision and level of social support. Potential applications of findings and future directions related to research are explored.
An Examination of Differences in Division I FBS Student-Athlete Academic and Athletic Performance
2017
The student-athlete literature if rife with studies that examine the factors that appear to improve or inhibit academic or athletic performance. However, internal characteristics that may influence variations in performance have been understudied, and athletic performance tends to be examined separately from academic performance. This study examined how different types of Division I FBS performers Ð high academic, high athletic; high academic, low athletic; low athletic, high academic; and low academic, low athletic Ð differ on three theoretical and conceptual frameworks representing internal factors. Each of the frameworks, Mindset, Personal Growth Initiative, and Student-Athlete Experiences, have positive attributes relative to performance, development, and well-being. Although not all variables were statistically significant, there were meaningful differences between high and low academic performers on academic experiences. Student-athletes in this sample also displayed a growth ...
SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY, 2016
Objective. The relationship between academic achievement, especially grade point average (GPA), and college athletics is often focused on "big-time" (National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I (NCAA DI)) colleges. This study examines athletic and academic identity correlates with student-athlete (SA) GPA for not only DI but also DII and DIII SAs, separately by sex. Methods. The GPAs of over 19,000 SAs across divisions are analyzed using OLS with covariates including athletic and academic indicators. The analysis pools SAs, separates by division, and separates by division and sex. Additional analyses were conducted for the revenue-producing sports. Results. SAs' GPA is directly influenced by their athletic versus academic identity, the athletic context including the coach's influence, and the seriousness with which they view academics. Cross-equation joint testing found no statistical differences in athletic or academic identity across division and sex. Conclusions. Two beliefs are widely presumed: that DI SAs' focus on athletics more than SAs in the "less competitive" divisions leads them to worse academic outcomes, and that the athletic identity of male SAs has a greater impact on academic performance than female SAs. Our results provide no evidence for either presumption. The relationship between collegiate athletics and academic achievement has been a source of persistent discussion for years. Throughout most of this research, however, the focus has been on the high-profile (revenue-producing) sports of football and basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI). Published research focusing on academics and athletics across the other two divisions-by themselves and in comparison to DI-as well as comparisons with the non-revenue-producing sports is very underdeveloped. In addition to this line of work, but also very much related, is the relationship between gender and academic performance. Much of the academic literature regarding women in collegiate sports tends to focus on issues germane to Title IX (Anderson, Cheslock, and Ehrenberg, 2006), as well as specific issues such as self-esteem, disordered eating (Johnson et al., 2004), and gender role orientation (Harrison and Lynch, 2005). Missing from this line of work is a consideration of more academic and sport-related factors that may influence academic performance.