Development of a College Readiness Screening Measure for Student Athlete Recruits

• In Event: Understanding and Facilitating Students’ College Readiness

Abstract

The NCAA recommends student athlete recruits be screened for academic rigor using high school grade point average (GPA) and college admission exam scores assuming these indicators will successfully predict college academic performance. In this study, the Student Athlete Pre-Screening Questionnaire was developed based on a pre-existing measure of college readiness designed for high school students. Results of a discriminant function analysis revealed an optimal combination of 16 items in predicting college GPA and probation status for current student athletes at two institutions (N = 216). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that these 16 items explained significant unique variance beyond gender, race, and sport type (e.g., revenue/nonrevenue). Implications for use as a student athlete recruiting tool are discussed.

Authors

• Allison Lombardi, University of Connecticut

• Andrew Downs, University of Portland

• Robyn Conley Downs, Educational Policy Improvement Center