Tale of the Tape: A Study of Two-year College Student-Athletes

<p>Two-year athletic programs bring many unique elements to a college campus, many of which help to create a comprehensive student experience. Quantifying this experience is difficult as little data has been collected historically on two-year college athletes. The purpose of conducting this study was to create a profile of a rural two-year college student-athlete and to utilize the data to determine if participation in athletics had any effect on student success measures. This study will help college administrators build a better understanding of the two-year college student-athlete, aiding their decision-making regarding the prioritization of college athletics on their campuses. These data will then hopefully enable those administrators to develop proactive strategies to serve this population more effectively. </p> <p>Data was collected from one rural two-year Midwestern college which offers college athletics. The study encompassed three years of student data that was presented in a descriptive statistic format using frequencies and percentages. Data were also analyzed using the Pearson Chi-Square Test of Independence to determine if a significant difference existed between variables. The data indicated the student-athlete at the case study institution was different from the general study body. Data also showed some differences in the student-athlete's retention compared to the non-athlete at the case study institution. Differences were also indicated when comparing student-athletes based upon demographic characteristics. </p> <p>Findings for this study demonstrated that students attracted to participation in two-year athletic programs at rural colleges are different from their same institution non-athlete peers. The study also indicated participation in athletics could positively affect student-athlete success while at the institution. Administrators should replicate a similar study on their campuses with hopes of improving data for decision making. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Higher Education (EdD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Grover, Dustin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Miller, Michael T.

Contributors dc:contributor

• McCray, Suzanne
• Gearhart, G. David

• Academic Preparedness
• Athletics
• College Athlete
• Community College
• Graduation Rate
• Retention
• Student Success
• Two-Year College
• Community College Leadership
• Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Educational Leadership
• Higher Education
• Higher Education Administration

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4171

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uark.edu:etd-5721