Participating in organized sports activities can result in developmental benefits to the adolescent. Increased fitness, self-esteem, competency, academic success and increased recognition by peers are few of the benefits cited by researchers. Participation can also provide opportunities for developmental liabilities to occur. Researchers have cited liabilities such as stress, anxiety and physiological injury. Developmental benefits and liabilities have been the foci of the controversy that has existed over adolescents participating in interscholastic sports programs in the middle and junior high school. Although research has studied the impact of interscholastic sports on the high school and collegiate athlete, few studies have investigated the impact of interscholastic sports on the middle school athlete. This qualitative case study of four middle school athletes investigated the benefits and liabilities of participating on an interscholastic team to the adolescent athlete. Based on the literature, four domains were identified as benefits and two domains were identified as liabilities. These six domains were achievement, competency, fitness, self-esteem, sports injuries, stress and anxiety. Interviews were held with students, coaches and parents. These interviews were based on domain specific questions. A journal was kept, and a document review of achievement, attendance and medical records was completed. The study revealed a pattern of improved grades, increased skill levels in the sport, improved fitness, and increased self-esteem. The students experienced injuries and moments of stress and anxiety. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of interscholastic sports participation on academic achievement and behavioural development of junior high grades students of basic education schools in Turkey. The subjects of this study were 651 eight grade students from fifteen basic education schools which are randomly selected during 2004-2005 academic year in NevSehir. Required data were collected by student&amp / #8217 / s data record folders (SPDRF), athletics participation licenses, high school entrance exam result sheets, provided by the schools administrations. First of all descriptive statistics were used to define demographic variables of this study. Second, one-way analysis of variance (Tukey HSD) and t-test (Pearson correlation) were used to asses the relationship between demographic variables and interscholastic sports participation on grade point average, high school entrance exam scores, attendance rate and behavioural development of students. Third correlation coefficients were applied to indicate the relation between independent variables and interscholastic sports participation. Finally regression analysis was conducted to understand how well the independent variables predict the academic achievement and behavioural development levels. Results indicate that interscholastic sports participations have positive effects on grade point average, attendance rate, individual development and high school entrance exam scores. Moreover demographic variables of students such as family income, family size, parents education level, family configuration and interscholastic sports participation are the determinants of academic success, behavioral development level, attendance rate, and high school attendance exam scores.

This research explores the effects of playing interscholastic sports on labor market income in the United States for males (n=5782) and females (n=6266) who participated in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Previous research has explored the effects of human capital and social capital on positive life outcomes for interscholastic athletes, but little research has looked into possible cultural capital advantages gained through interscholastic sports participation. Using multiple regression analysis and controlling for the effects of human and social capital, I examine whether participation in interscholastic sports operate as cultural capital. Results indicate that after net of controls the relationship between interscholastic sports participation and labor market income remains positive and significant for males who play sports and females who play the culturally popular sport of basketball. Results also indicate that those male student athletes who play culturally popular sports (football, basketball, or baseball) report more income six years after high school graduation than their counterparts who play a less culturally popular sport. This article provides evidence that cultural capital theory is a useful tool in exploring the relationship between interscholastic sports and labor market income.

The purpose of this study was to determine if student athletes were more successful in school than nonathletes at 2 middle schools located in the same school district in Western North Carolina. Each school serves students in grades 6-8; however, data were only gathered from students in grades 7 and 8 because students in grade 6 are prohibited from participating in athletics at the middle school level. The testing variables included number of days absent from school, percentile score on Math End-of-Grade tests, percentile score on Reading End-of-Grade tests, final grade in math courses, and final grade in reading courses. Grouping variables were students in the same cohort with data obtained from 7th grade during the 2009-2010 school year, followed by data obtained from 8th grade during the 2010-2011 school year. Results were analyzed from School A, School B, and Schools A and B combined. Independent samples t-tests were used to make comparisons between student athletes and nonathletes for each of the variables. Based on the findings of this study, middle school students involved in interscholastic sports missed fewer days of school than students who were not involved in athletics. Differences were found in End-of-Grade Math and Reading percentile scores between student athletes and nonathletes in School B. Students who participated in athletics tended to earn higher End-of-Grade percentile scores. No significant differences were found for the same assessments in the other middle school. Data from both schools combined have found no significant difference in Reading End-of-Grade percentile scores; however, students who participated in athletics tended to have a higher percentile scored on Math End-of-Grade exams than student nonathletes. School B had significant differences in student outcomes in final grades for both math and reading courses with the student athletes earning a higher grade. School A did not have a significant difference in final grades for math courses but did have a significant difference in final grades for reading courses with student athletes earning a higher grade. Data from both schools combined found a significant difference between student athletes and nonathletes in final grades for math and reading courses. Student athletes tended to have a higher grade in each subject when compared to nonathletes.

The place of sports in academic institutions has been analyzed at length for several years. However most studies focus on the participation of high school and university students in school sports. Very little research exists to suggest a positive or negative correlation between academic achievement and participation in interscholastic sports at the elementary level. As a result the relationship between academic performance and participation in school sports among elementary students in grades 4 and 5 was investigated in this study. Through an independent-samples t test analysis of 1,605 fourth and fifth grade boys and girls, it was determined that students who participated in school sports were likely to have higher standardized test scores in both reading and math as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. This was true of both male and female students. Additionally students of African-American, Asian, and Latino ethnicity who participated in interscholastic athletics also performed significantly higher on standardized tests than did their peers who did not participate in school sports. However it was determined that no significant relationship existed between participation in school sports and attendance at the elementary level. The results of this study suggest that there exists a positive relationship between interscholastic sports participation and academic achievement.