Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Project (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 19). Also available via the Internet.

This study addressed two primary purposes. The first was to establish what effect extended athletic participation had upon the development of career maturity. The second was to determine if remedial educational measures could compensate for any identified deficiencies.A secondary goal involved the unrealistic expectations of intercollegiate athletes of becoming professionals athletes. Thus, it was a final purpose of the study to examine the effects of the treatment upon these expectations.Three directional research hypotheses were developed: (1) Members of the athletic group will score lower on measured levels of career maturity than members of the comparison group. (2) Members of the experimental group, following treatment, will score higher on measured levels of career maturity than members of the control group. (3) Following treatment, fewer members of the experimental group will possess expectations of playing professional sports than will members of the control group.The study was divided into two separate surveys. Survey 1 compared 122 male scholarship basketball and football athletes with 80 undergraduate students. Survey 2 compared 66 randomly selected experimental and control group subjects who were freshman or sophomore football and basketball athletes from the same university. For Survey 2, treatment consisted of attendance in an 11 week class specifically designed to increase levels of career maturity, development, and realistic expectations in athletes. The Counseling Form of the Attitude Scale of the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) was selected as the dependent measure for both surveys.From Survey 1, an analysis of variance demonstrated a significant difference between the athletic group and the comparison group which supported hypothesis 1. Data from Survey 2 were analyzed by a regression analysis which supported hypothesis 2. Results of a X2 analysis of subjects' responses also revealed the experimental group to be more realistic than the control group which supported hypothesis 3.The conclusions were drawn that there was a significant difference between athletes and the general student body on levels of career maturity, that significant changes in career maturity could occur, and that these changes could include a more realistic career choice for athletes who received remedial educational intervention.

The goal of many institutions of higher education is to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful citizens of society. For college student athletes an athletic coach can play a vital role in the collegiate experience. The thesis, Coach's Influence On The Career Development Of Student Athletes, examined the extent, if any, an athletic head coach influenced the career planning process encountered by college student athletes. The study was original in nature as it attempted to investigate a head athletic coach's influence on a student athlete's career development. The participants of the study were 163 male and 92 female student athletes attending a Midwestern, NCAA division 1, mid-sized, public university. The 40 question, scaled, survey instrument was created by the researcher and field tested before the actual administration of the instrument. Significant findings were found for male head coaches influencing the career development of male student athletes. Other significant findings are also discussed. Recommendations of the study direct coaches and athletic administrators to be aware of the career-related challenges faced by college student athletes, and to create an environment that promotes healthy career choices. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

Thesis (MS) University of Montana, 2008. / Title from author supplied metadata. Contents viewed on May 19, 2010. Includes bibliographical references.

This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of the Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success (CHAMPS)/Life Skills program at the University of North Texas, as perceived by the student athletes who participate or participated in this program. The study attempts to measure the extent to which the student athletes feel that the program had value; if they received helpful information to support them through their college career to career transition; if the student athletes felt that the program provided them with skills to encourage better self-esteem; and if they believed that the CHAMPS/Life Skills program provided them with leadership and character education. The study, conducted in the Fall of 2003, had 163 respondents. An instrument was developed to determine student athletes' perceptions of the effectiveness of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program at UNT. The instrument consisted of 30 questions using a Likert-type scale. A Mann-Whitney U, a non-parametric t-Test, was utilized to analyze the data. This type of t-Test was used because it is specifically designed to compare the means of the same variable with two different groups and account for non-homogeneous groups. The lack of homogeneity was very likely influenced by the unequal group sizes. Generally, all aspects of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program at UNT were found to be positive by each subgroup. Student athletes found value in the CHAMPS/Life Skills program at UNT. In three of the four components studied, males had a statistically stronger feeling than females. Minority status had no statistically significant impact on the results in any of the four components studied. For the variable measuring the number of years in the program, a significant difference existed in three of the four components studied. The study shows that if a student athlete was involved in the program for more than two years, the CHAMPS/Life Skills program at UNT was more valuable for them than those enrolled for a shorter period of time.

In NCAA Division I, academic eligibility standards are national in scope and are the same for all institutions. In NCAA Division III, there are no national standards; rather each member institution establishes its own academic eligibility standards. However, information on these standards has never been collected and published, leaving a significant hole in the research in this area. The problem addressed by this study was to collect this academic eligibility information on the members of one Division III conference. A number of questions were addressed in the study. One was, how do Division III eligibility standards compare to Division I standards? Another was, how do eligibility standards in the Division III institutions studied compare to each other? Since differences were found, a final question addressed was, do the differences in academic eligibility standards between the Division III institutions lead to competitive equity issues. Data on academic eligibility standards from 15 members of one Division III conference were collected through interviews of Compliance Officers at each institution. The data were compared to the NCAA national standards for Division I. The data were also analyzed for differences among the Division III institutions studied. A correlation analysis was used to determine if a relationship existed between academic eligibility standards and competitive equity. The findings of the study were that on most of the academic eligibility variables, the Division III institutions studied had lower standards than the national standards for Division I. In the comparison of Division III institutions to each other, differences were found for high school core course requirements, transfer and continuing student credit hour requirements, and exceptions to the rules. While the study found pronounced differences in competitive equity among the Division III institutions studied, there was no clear indication of any relationship between eligibility requirements and competitive equity. This study provided some interesting information about the institutions in one Division III conference. However, the study raised as many questions as it answered. More work needs to be done to determine whether the policies followed by NCAA Division III institutions are truly different from those followed by Division I institutions. / text

This study replicated and extended previous research I had performed that suggested that a student success course is an effective intervention to assist student-athletes in the adjustment to college. Participants in the current study included 4 groups of students, including (1) non-athletes and (2) student-athletes who were mandated and enrolled in the student success course, and (3) non-athletes and (4) student-athletes who were not mandated and did not enroll in the student success course. Overall, results from the current study suggested that the student success course was effective in helping non-athletes and student-athletes learn key cognitive strategies that are necessary for college success. In addition, results indicated that after taking the student success course, academically at-risk students earned equivalent grades, percentage of hours passed, and retention rates compared to their peers who were not classified as being academically underprepared. Finally, adjustment patterns of all groups were examined, with particular emphasis on the decrease in adjustment over the course of the semester that was demonstrated by the student-athletes. Intervention implications and future research directions are discussed, specifically in terms of how to address the unique needs of college freshmen student-athletes.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between basketball participation and academic integration at one NCAA Division Ill school. Research on the college experiences of NCAA Division I male student-athletes in corporate sports has demonstrated that athletic participation does not enhance academic integration. Conversely, Division I women athletes have become academically integrated despite participating in intercollegiate athletics. Therefore, this study sought to discover integration differences between males and females at the Division Ill level and made comparisons with the Division I literature. Academic integration was defined as a belief in the academic goals of an institution based on academic involvement, peer interaction, faculty interaction and involvement in work, sport or other extracurricular activities. Nine male and five female Division Ill basketball players from one liberal arts college were interviewed. Based on qualitative analyses, three major themes were identified. First, the student-athletes were predisposed to academic integration based on their high school grade point averages, test scores, parent's education and social class. Second, once in college, they became academically integrated through academic planning, extracurricular involvement, and peer and faculty interaction. Finally, through their coach's assistance with academic planning and the social interaction it created, basketball played a partial role in the integration process for men. Women, however, did not use basketball as their primary means of establishing social ties and did not receive academic assistance from their coach. These were the only differences between genders. The school's academic climate and structure were the most significant factors impacting academic integration. The coach's ability to support these was a secondary factor. When compared to Division I males, these male student-athletes were much more integrated. The females in the current study were similar to their Division I counterparts with respect to academic integration.