Athletic Personnel’s Influence on the Academic Success of Student-Athletes in Featured Sports

• In Event: Research That Improves Education in the Context of Sport: “To Know Is Not Enough”

Abstract

Some student-athletes garner more attention than others on campus and in the media, which potentially comes with costs in the classroom, with faculty and peers alike holding a less favorable perspective of these student-athletes. Using data from a national survey of NCAA student-athletes, this paper explores the influence of climate on the academic success of student-athletes in high-profile featured sports. Preliminary results suggest few differences in how these student-athletes experience campus climate. Only one aspect of climate appears to significantly influence featured sport student-athletes’ academic success: interactions with athletic personnel (i.e., head coaches, athletic trainers). Future work will explore the influence of athletic personnel in greater detail and a more in-depth discussion of implications for practice and future research.

Authors

• India Menon, The Pennsylvania State University

• Karla Loya, The Pennsylvania State University

• Susan Rankin, The Pennsylvania State University