An Examination of Campus Engagement and GPA for NCAA Latinx College Athletes

• In Event: El Juego de la Vida: Understanding Latinx College Athletes in the NCAA

Abstract

Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to examine how Latinx college athletes’ campus engagement is related to grade point average (GPA).

Conceptual Framework:
The author used Nora’s (2003) Model of Student/Institution Engagement Model to examine how interaction with faculty, students, and staff enhances Latinx students’ success to obtain a degree (Nora et al., 2011). Nora’s model proposes six major components for students: (1) Pre-college characteristics, (2) sense of purpose and institutional allegiance, (3) academic and social experiences, (4) cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, (5) goal determination/institutional allegiance, and (6) persistence (Nora et al., 2011).
Based on literature on college athletes, the author modifies Nora’s model to examine GPA for Latinx college athletes by using three components of the model: (1) Pre-college characteristics, (2) academic and social experiences, and (3) athletic interactions (Figure 1). Pre-college characteristics include high school GPA, generation status, gender, and socio-economic status (Nora et al., 2011). Academic and social experiences include interactions with faculty, peers, and advisors (Nora et al., 2011). Lastly, athletic interactions are relevant because unlike other students, the athletic demands and participation are unique commitments for college athletes (Comeaux & Harrison, 2011).

Methods:
The author used IBM-SPSS version 24 to estimate an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model. OLS can be used to model a single response variable which has been recorded continuously (Hutcheson, 2011). Additionally, beta coefficients from OLS estimation can measure the strength of the relationship between key independent and dependent variables (Meyers et al., 2013). OLS was used to examine the strength of relationships between engagement and Latinx college athletes’ GPA.

Data:
The author used the Student Athlete Climate Study (SACS) to examine the different engagements for Latinx college athletes. SACS data surveyed 8,000 college athletes from more than 150 NCAA institutions. The dataset responses from college athletes including demographics, sports, and NCAA Division (Rankin et al., 2011). The sample included 389 Latinx athletes across all NCAA Divisions.

Findings:
Table 1 suggests that high school GPA is positively associated with college GPA. However, identifying as first-generation and low-income had a slight negative effect on GPA. Additionally, there is a positive association between class participation and being involved in an academic honor society for Latinx college athletes’ GPA. In Table 2, faculty-student interactions and academic advisor interactions had a slight positive association to GPA. It is important to note that Latinx college athletes’ interactions with their teammates and coaches were both significant predictors, but team interactions had a slight negative effect on GPA. Lastly, identifying as a Latina had a positive association on GPA when compared to Latino college athletes.

Scholarly Significance:
This research can benefit the NCAA and colleges/universities by providing insight on the academic success for Latinx athletes. Working with Latinx athletes requires the NCAA and college/university to take into account their athletic and academic campus engagement. Therefore, as Latinx participation continues to grow in the NCAA, it is important to understand what best practices can increase GPA and ultimately lead to degree attainment.

Author

• Guillermo Ortega, Idaho State University