Analysis To Student Athlete Grade Point Averages And Persistence Rates At Franklin Pierce College

Colleges and universities continue to be held to accountability measures typically related to student graduation rates. Intercollegiate athletic programs are not immune to such accountability measures. For instance, in recent years the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted the Academic Progress Rate, which holds institutions accountable for the graduation, retention, and eligibility status of its student-athletes. It is the moral obligation of intercollegiate administrators to ensure student-athletes are receiving a quality education culminating in graduation. The recent climate of higher education makes it critical to examine the variables which influence graduation and retention of student-athletes. This study examined student-athletes who entered the University of Texas at El Paso from 1998 to 2001. Using logistic regression analyses, pre-college, demographic, and college variables were investigated to determine which variables influence student-athlete graduation and retention. The independent variables used were: high school core grade point average, scholastic aptitude test score, high school class percentile, ethnicity, gender, parent income level, first semester college grade point average, first year college grade point average, scholarship status, eligibility status, and sport played. Results of the study show, when compared to all other variables, the two most significant variables that predict student-athlete graduation and retention are eligibility status and first-semester grade point average.

The purpose of this research was to explore a range of predictor variables believed to influence the academic success of student-athletes as measured by cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) and academic progress rates (APR). This study included 210 scholarship student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) limited-resource institution. Multiple regression analysis found standardized test scores (Test), high school core grade point averages (HSGPA), the Will composite scale of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, 2nd Edition (LASSI-II), gender, and generational status (i.e. first-generation or non-first-generation) to be most predictive of student-athlete cumulative grade point averages (CGPA). Independent t-tests were conducted on all predictor variables in the study and found significant differences between males and females on the variables of HSGPA, Test, and CGPA with female student-athletes scoring higher on all of these measures. Significant differences were also found between first-generation and non-first-generation student-athletes on variables of HSGPA, Test, Skill, Will, and CGPA with non-first-generation student-athletes scoring higher on all of these measures. Student-athletes participating in non-revenue sports had significantly higher scores on the HSGPA, Test, and CGPA variables. Logistic regression analyses using found standardized test scores to be the only predictor variable in this study to consistently contribute to the prediction of APR point loss.

ABSTRACT: Student-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to identify those precollege and college experience variables that influence student-athlete success at a major Division I institution in the Southeastern United States during a three year period from 2000 to 2003. Study variables included: race; gender; residency; high school grade point average; SAT composite score; scholarship amount; classification; major; Pell Grant eligibility; GPA for each of the first three semesters; number of degree hours each of the first three semesters; number of withdrawals for each of the first three semesters; and participation in an enrichment program.

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