THE CORRELATION BETWEEN INVOLVEMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS Jennifer Harnell Brian Rud Purpose The general purpose of this study is to identify and describe if students who participate in high school athletics do better academically than their peers who are not involved in high school athletics. This study should determine the differences and commonalities, not only between those involved and not involved in high school athletics, but also between various athletic teams. Although there has been other research on this topic, we would like to demonstrate the importance and effects of high school athletics for the high schools we work in. Definitions Academics: Scholastic achievement in relation to students9 learning in a high school setting. Athletics: Extra curricular activities which require training in various skills and may require physical strength, stamina, speed, endurance, etc. High School: A public educational institution for students in grades nine through twelve. Prior Research Bland, June., 3Implementation of the C-Average Policy.2 (November 1990) District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington D.C. Evaluative/feasibility report. This article was about the decline in student participation in athletics and other extracurricular activities following the implementation of an academic policy for students to maintain a C-average. The policy was implemented to emphasize the importance of academic achievement. The major findings of this article were: that the policy is more stringent than that of comparable school systems and is opposed by national and local school athletic associations; that , in most schools, only tutoring of athletic team members during the season of play is emphasized; and that work and lack of student interest also have contributed to the decline in participation in athletics in recent years. Holland, Alyce; Andre, Thomas., 3The Effects of Participation in Extracurricular Activities in Secondary School: What is Known, What Needs To Be Known?2 (April 1997) Iowa State University Information Analysis. This paper reviewed the published research literature that assesses the role of the secondary school extracurricular program in the overall development of adolescents. The author divided the study into four areas: Immediate Effects of Activity Participation, Long-Range Effects of Participation, High School Size and Activity Participation, and Athletics. Subjects discussed within the paper included educational achievement, psychological effects, adolescent status, goal attainment, race relations, self-concept, etc. Kirsch, Joel., 3Education--A Whole New Game.2 Available: http://www.amersports.org/pers/kirsch.html (10, March 1999) Yahoo. This article dealt with the positive aspects of sports culture contributing to educational reform. The author broke down eight categories which educators could apply theories derived in athletics and transfer them into their teaching. The categories were self-paced learning, mastery-based learning, relevance, engagement, learning through coaching, demonstration learning, team-orientated learning, and character development. The author9s main theme was to use true and tried methods of learning through sport to create a whole new educational model which promotes academic achievement. Lee, Annette L., 3 Self-esteem of Adolescent Athletes.2 (23 July, 1996) 102 p. M.S. Thesis. Emporia State University. The author9s thesis stated that while self-esteem develops after life9s primary needs have been satisfied, other factors can influence its development. Variables considered were gender, athletic participation, family structure, and reported grades. She used a sampling of 279 students, ranging from 9th grade through college sophomores. Her findings showed that athletic participants have a higher self-esteem than nonparticipants and that athletic participation has a positive impact on academic achievement. Silliker, Alan S.; Quirk, Jeffrey T., 3The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the Academic Performance of Male and Female High School Students. (March 1997) School Counselor. v44, n4, p. 288-293. This article examined whether extracurricular activity participation enhances the academic performance of high school students. It analyzed 123 students who played interscholastic soccer. Results of this study were that participation does not harm and may enhance academic performance. Male athletes showed in-season improvements in academic performance. Hypothesis Do students involved in high school athletics do better academically than those students who are not? Population An ideal population would be all high school students in Minnesota. Because of the different athletic programs offered, the different academic policies, and the various degree of difficulty in curriculums, such a generalization may not be justifiable. One that might be justifiable would be a population of all students attending the high school which we work in. Sampling The study will be conducted at Duluth Denfeld High School and Proctor High School. Both schools are similar in size and socioeconomic structure. Curriculums and standards are similar between both high schools as well. The sample will include all students in attendance at these schools between ninth and twelfth grade. Instrumentation Instrumentation will include a nominal scale to be used to determine the differences between grade point averages, genders, different athletic teams, and athletes and non-athletes. Reliability: We will be using data scores from the same group of students as they proceeded from ninth to twelfth grade. All data collection will be done with a test using yearly totals within the same high school for a total of four times. This test will be given at two different high schools and the results will not be mixed. Validity: High school counselors and administrators have verified all academic data to be true. Student questionnaire will be distributed among all athletes in each building to lead to a large sampling. Items within our survey will be compared with our nominal scoring and tally sheet to determine the differences and commonalities between those involved and not involved with high school athletics. (to be discussed in next section) A second means of instrumentation is a tally sheet used to record the number of one, two, or three sport athletes, gender, various sports, and where they fall academically (class rank by percentage). SAMPLE TALLY SHEET MALE FEMALE TOP 10% TOP 25% TOP 50% sport #1 sport #2 sport #3 sport #4 sport #5 etc. etc. etc. part. in 1 sport part. in 2 sports part. in 3 sports top 10% top 25% top 50% Reliability: Reliability should not be too great a problem with this instrument since all items are of a factual nature. Validity: All items on this tally sheet are facts which will lead to various categorical breakdowns. Thus the validity of the information obtained is both meaningful and useful. The final means of instrumentation to be used is a student questionnaire. The questionnaire will be used to determine student9s opinions and beliefs along with factual information. SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Are you a male or female? 2. Are you involved with high school athletics? If you answered no, proceed to question 15. 3. What sports do you play? 4. Does your coach influence your decisions? 5. Does your coach work or teach in your school? 6. Do you feel being involved with athletics helps you academically? 7. Do athletics help you to have better study habits? 8. Do you do better academically in or out of season? 9. What season do you do better academically in? (fall, winter, or spring) 10. Do athletics effect the classes you choose to take? 11. Do you receive any extra academic help as a result of being an athlete? 12. In what, if any, ways do athletics hold you back academically? 13. How many hours of school do you miss weekly due to athletics? 14. What life skills does being involved in athletics teach you? 15. What is your GPA? 16. Do you think the academic standards for athletic eligibility (GPA 2.0) are fair? 17. Do teachers treat athletes fairly? 18. Do you feel athletes are given extra privileges in the school? 19. Did you like answering these questions or would you have preferred not to? 20. Were any of the questions confusing? If so which ones? Reliability: Reliability will attempt to be controlled through all questionnaires being distributed and taken in the same manner. An attempt to ask the same question in a variety of ways has also been made to help control reliability. Validity: May be perceived as questionable due to the fact we are dealing with opinions instead of factual information. Procedures This research project is being done by retrieving factual information within two similarly sized high schools over the course of a four year period of time. We are narrowing our research to one class of students as they progress through high school, beginning with their ninth grade year and ending with their twelfth grade year. The majority of the information, other than the student questionnaire, will be obtained through our high school guidance and athletic directors office. The questionnaire itself will be administered during the fall of the next school year. Control of extraneous variables: Our control mainly rests in the factual nature of our study. Our attempts are to use as many items of fact as possible eliminating other factors which may influence the outcome of our study. For example, we will not submit records of students who transferred from other schools or school districts during their high school careers. Also, we will be placing more emphasis on the outcome of the nominal scoring and tally sheet than we will the questionnaire. Those questionnaires which, in our opinion, were filled out just for the sake of getting them done will not be accounted for in the study. Data Analysis The tally sheet data will be straight forward and obvious. This information will be transferred into graphs, charts, and percentages. The nominal scale will also be quite easy to analyze with the help of a computer based analysis. The questionnaire data will be used as further documentation to help support or disprove our findings. We will attempt to cluster answers in a scatter plot to see various groupings of answers.

-- Anonymous, June 16, 1999