The Impact of Athletic Participation on Student Success in Middle School

• In Event: 58.077 - District-Driven Problems of Practice: What Can Practitioner-Scholars Learn and How Do Districts Benefit?

Abstract

Objectives

With the rise of high-stakes testing and the reduction in budgets, one school district cut back on extra-curricular activities such as sports in recent years for its middle school students to better allot funding to core subjects. In the most recent school year, the district experimented with bringing back one sport: track. The research objectives therefore requested by this district included: (a) literature review on the benefits of participating in after school extracurricular activities, including sports; (b) data analysis comparing student attendance, academic achievement, and discipline during track season compared to outside of track season; and (c) best practice recommendations to support athletic team participation.

Theoretical Framework

To provide explanations the research will use two theories that pertain to motivation: Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The premise of AGT is that individuals are motivated by demonstrating their competence or achievement at a task (Sit & Lindner, 2004). Bandura’s (2001) SCT explains how knowledge acquisition is directly related to one’s social experiences and interactions. There have been numerous applications of these theories and how they relate and are supported by sports.

Methods & Data Sources

This literature review was conducted by reviewing research in education, psychology, and neuroscience, using combinations of the following search terms: academic achievement and athletic participation, implementation of sports programs, and benefits to students of athletic programs. To conduct the requested data analysis, descriptive statistics, and a series of analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze student academic achievement, attendance, and incidences of disciplinary action based on participating in sports. Data was also disaggregated by demographics, including grade level, gender, ethnicity, and economically disadvantaged.

Substantiated Conclusions

The literature review of the research on athletic programs at the middle school level, brought to light many of the benefits to the students in terms of academic achievement, self-image, cognition, and motivation. The data analysis revealed slight trends of improvement in grades and attendance for students that participated in track during the month of April (track season). Overall, the percentage of disciplinary referrals from track students throughout the school year was far lower than their non-participating peers. With further data generated as the programs continue to grow and diversify, we expect to see a significant change across the board that supports the implementation of middle school athletics.

Significance

The benefits of the program evaluation to the district present a unique opportunity: positive change grounded in best practices and research in multidisciplinary fields. The ability to impact the lives of students in a way that supports their continued success was at the forefront. The chance for Ed.D. students to be involved in the reality of problems in our district, and the developing our research methods as professionals was incredibly important to developing our methodology and data analysis skills. This project especially provided a unique opportunity for the Ed.D. students to really experience messy, real-world data.

Authors

• Daniel McGinty, University of Portland

• Heidi Wigman, Portland Public Schools