Academic Performance Of Student Athletes

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Academic Performance of Student Athletes Current research offers little guidance on the specific relationship between participation in athletics and academic achievement (Jordan, 1999). In a study conducted by Will J. Jordan, participation in school-sponsored sports was examined to see if there was an increase in school engagement and achievement. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of sports participation on academic achievement. This study focused on the effects of school sports participation on academic achievement for African American students, as well as White and Hispanic students. Approximately 15,000 students from over a thousand different schools were used in this study. This sample included students from all geographical locations and communities, as well as public and private schools (Jordan, 1999). The data collection process began by describing the word ‘participation.’ Essentially, the researchers designed a numerical system that correlated with different levels of participation. Participation was defined as follows. “Students who did not participate in a sport were categorized with a “0”. Students who participated in sports less than one hour a week were assigned a “1”. Students who participated one to four hours a week were assigned a “2”, five to nine hours a week were assigned a “3”, fourteen to nineteen hours were assigned a “4”, and students who participated twenty or more hours a week were assigned a “5” (Jordan, 1999).” The researchers stated that this accounted for the fact that some of the measures, such as GPA and self-confidence may have been different in students who barley participated in sports. To measure GPA, the students’ self reported their grades in mathematics, Englis... ... middle of paper ... ...ticipate. As a result, they are more likely to maintain their grades academically. In a study that focuses on college student-athletes, and contradicts the research carried out by Whitely and Stegall, Herbert Simons, Derek Rheenen, and Martin Covington, stated that “the more commitment to the athletic role and the less to the academic role, the lower the university GPA (Simons et al., 1999).” When student-athletes reach the collegiate level, the amount of time student-athletes spend in their sport, in and out of the athletic season, is immense. Simons et al., noted that students-athletes are required to devote 20 to 30 hours per week, miss numerous classes for competition, and deal with injuries and fatigue (Simons et al., 1999). As a result, student-athletes are not able to dedicate as much time as non-athletes to academics, directly effecting academic motivation.

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