The Relationship Between Female Athletic Participation and Gpa, Attendance, Class Ranks, Selected Curricula and College Attendance in Selected Rural Michigan Schools.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between participation in interscholastic athletics and grade point averages, attendance patterns, class ranks, selected curricula, and college attendance of female students in selected Michigan rural high schools. The study covered the years 1978-1982 and utilized a sample population consisting of an experimental group of varsity athletes and a control group of non-athletes in each school. A total of 215 subjects were designated for the sampling. A Data Collection Summary Sheet was used for the manually tabulated retrieval of information from cumulative records, yearbooks and graduation programs in the respective schools. Twelve null hypotheses were formulated to which t tests, Chi Square tests, and Odds Ratio tests were applied. The .05 significance level was used in all analyses. The results of the study indicated that female athletes in each of the schools had significantly higher grade point averages; significantly better attendance records, significantly higher class rankings, and were significantly more likely to select college preparatory courses than female non-athletes. Female athletes in the larger school were significantly more likely to attend college than female non-athletes. In the smaller school, female athletes were more likely to attend college than female non-athletes but not to a significant degree. Based upon the results of this study, the conclusions indicate that participation in interscholastic athletic competition contributed positively to the academic performance and class rankings of female high school students. Furthermore, this involvement greatly influenced the students' attendance as well as their desire to enroll in college preparatory courses and seek higher education. Conclusively, the study indicated a significant correlation between interscholastic participation and achievement and goal-orientation.PhDSecondary educationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161230/1/8702714.pd