Intercollegiate athletes and effective educational practices: Winning combination or losing effort? Research in Higher Education

Scrutiny of intercollegiate athletics has intensified in recent years. Yet previous studies about the experience of student-athletes show that participation in intercollegiate sports has little influence on desirable outcomes of college. This study compares the engagement of student-athletes with those of non-athletes in effective educational practices. Contrary to many reports in the popular media, the findings from this study indicate that, on balance, student-athletes across a large number of colleges and universities do not differ greatly from their peers in terms of their participation in effective educational practices. In most instances, when differences do exist, they favor athletes. 2