Academic engagement: university student athletes meta-analysis
Date
2020
Authors
Wightman, Lowell, author
Makela, Carole, advisor
Timpson, William, committee member
Wallner, Barbara, committee member
Engle, Terry, committee member
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Abstract
The purpose of this analysis was to understand the role of academic engagement for university student athletes' perceptions of how academic engagement influences their academic success. The meta-analytical process in this study focused on student athletes' awareness of the academic environment and opportunities for engagement and interpretation of how these factors influence their academic performance (e.g., comments like "Having an open study hall available every day, along my path to class and practice that includes study resources removes so many obstacles to staying focused on my class work."). From the analysis of the students' perceptions, the intent was to review academic engagement constructs and their relationships with National Collegiate Athletic Association Academic Progress Rating, U.S. Department of Education, and National Student Survey of Engagement standards for the purpose of identifying how these are similar and different. Similarities and differences inform advising/guiding students' understanding of the scholarship expectations, their interactions with faculty and staff, and their performance as students. In addition, it was important that this study inform coaches, administrators, and faculty about pedagogical strategies and environmental conditions supporting scholarship student athletes' academic engagement and academic performance. The analysis stage of this meta-analytical study systematically discovered data that answered this study's research questions in whole or part. Methodology provided guidance for discovering key findings focused on the impact of environmental settings influencing academic engagement. Examples of prosocial environment influences on academic engagement, defined by social emotional learning theory, provided findings linked to improving student athletes' academic performance. That being said, there were no concrete literature intersections, but there were literature references implying that student athletes may connect prosocial environments to academic engagement or academic performance. As the data crystallized themes and patterns emerged indicating that student athletes did not connect academic engagement or their academic performance to maintaining their scholarship or participation on their teams. In addition, this study found student athletes academically engaged in the presence of a socially and emotionally competent instructors. It was shown in the findings, pedagogical strategies used by instructors promoting social emotional constructs created an engaging and competent environment resulting in academic performance improvement.
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Subject
academic performance
social emotional learning
social emotional competence
academic engagement