Perceptions of Huntington College graduates regarding intercollegiate participation

The purpose of the study was to investigate and report the relationship of intercollegiate sport participation to personal and professional benefits as perceived by selected graduates of Huntington College.The population for the study consisted of all four year graduates from 1972 through 1979 who received at least one varsity award. The population was divided by sex and academic college major. Thirteen tables were constructed to report data pertaining to:1. aesthetic values2. social skills and relationships with others 3. funding of programs and program encouragement 4. professional benefits 5. effect upon personal conduct and development 6. sports participation.The Galloway Inventory was adapted and used as a questionnaire. The data were obtained from one hundred-sixty questionnaires or a 78 percent rate of return.Some of the findings of the study were:1. Intercollegiate sport participation is considered more important than informal competition.2. More physical education majors are active in team sports activities than the non physical education majors.3. One hundred percent of the male and female physical education majors disagreed expenditure of funds for a sports program is unnecessary and wasteful.4. More men, majors and non majors, participate regularly in individual sports than do female majors or non majors.Based on the data some of the conclusions were:1. Male and female physical education majors believe intercollegiate sport participation contributes to professional development.2. Male and female non physical education major athletes do not agree intercollegiate sport participation contributes to providing skills necessary for vocational association.3. Male and female physical education majors believe intercollegiate sport participation contributes to personal development.4. Male and female non physical education athletes believe intercollegiate sport participation contributes to personal development.The following recommendations are based on the findings of the study:1. A study should be conducted to determine the opinion of athletes participating in individual sports versus team sports.2. A study should be conducted to determine if differences of opinion exist among athletes receiving a different number of awards.3. A study should be undertaken to determine the perceptions of non athletes toward intercollegiate sport participation.Department of Educational LeadershipThesis (D. Ed.