An examination of athletic participation and academic achievement among high school students in a midwest, catholic high school

Abstract

This quantitative study was designed to examine whether there was a statistically significant difference in grade point average (GPA) between students who participated in school-sponsored athletic programs and nonparticipants in a Midwest, Catholic high school. Secondarily, this study examined whether there were significant differences in the relationship between athletic participation and GPA based on type of sport (i.e., team sport or individual sport). This study utilized Astin's theory of student involvement, looking at the impact of student involvement on academic achievement. Data analysis was conducted by the researcher using regression analyses. The results of the study indicate that the difference in GPA of athletic participants compared to nonparticipants was found to be statistically significant. After data analysis, neither team sport only participant GPA nor individual and team sport participant GPA were found to be statistically different compared to individual sport only participant GPA. Limitations of this study include demographic representation, socioeconomic representation, location, and by the type of school studied. Based on the results of this study, the researcher concluded that participation in school-sponsored athletics at a Catholic high school is valuable to students. Thusly, schools should not only fund school-sponsored athletics, but school officials should also be committed to policies that increase access to, and encourage participation in, school-sponsored athletic programs.