Journal Article•
Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Division I Football Program
TL;DR: For example, this paper examined one football program over a period of ten years, which allowed for greater understanding of the movement of players into and out of majors, especially the movement into a clustered major midway through their academic experience.
Abstract: As NCAA Division I coaches feel greater pressure to produce winning teams while ensuring that athletes remain eligible and progress toward degrees to avoid sanctions under the NCAA’s academic reform initiatives, concerns regarding the clustering of athletes into limited numbers of academic majors has increased. Academic clustering occurs when 25% or more of the members of one team share a single academic major (Case, Greer, & Brown, 1987). Recent studies have extended the analysis of clustering to include the disparate impact on white and minority football players in a single athletic conference (Fountain & Finley, 2009), as well as consideration of female basketball players throughout Division I (Paule, 2010). To date, these studies have provided a snapshot of teams for a given season. This study extends the understanding of clustering by examining one football program over a period of ten years, which allowed for greater understanding of the movement of players into and out of majors, especially the movement into a clustered major midway through their academic experience. Media guides from one BCS football program were used to track the listed majors of 349 players, from 2000 through 2009. Results indicated that players migrated into a single clustered major over time and that a significant number of touted recruits and National Football League draftees selected the clustered major. Further, players who had listed general education (University Studies) in their first media guide appearances frequently selected the clustered major.
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TL;DR: To strengthen the potential of the student-athletes of the future, a dual career network should be established among several stakeholders, for transnational cooperation and sharing of knowledge and best practices through extensive communication between policy-makers, practitioners and those having a strong supportive dual career role.
Abstract: Athletes have the right to combine their sport and higher education careers (e.g., dual career), but differences in the recognition of the student-athlete's status and availability of dual career programmes and services exist worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dual career phenomenon through the international student-athletes' views. Student-athletes competing at the 2017 Summer Universiade were recruited to respond a 31-item online survey encompassing demographic characteristics (Q1-8), sport and university engagement (Q9-13), student-athletes' knowledge and possible sources of information regarding dual career (Q14-22); and dual career support at personal, sport, and academic levels (Q23-31). Four hundred twenty-six respondents (males: 46%, females 54%), competing in 22 different sports (individual: 74%, team: 26%) from Africa (4%), America (20%), Asia (34%), Europe (39%), and Oceania (3), had experienced previous international sports events (94%). Differences among continents emerged for sport (p<0.001) and university (p = 0.039) engagement, and transfer time from home to the training venue (p = 0.030). Individual sports student-athletes showed higher sport engagement (p = 0.003) compared to team sports counterparts. Differences among university majors emerged for university engagement (p<0.001). Long absence from classes (57%), limited leisure time (50%), financial uncertainty (44%), reduction of training due to education (42%), and overload feelings (37%) emerged. The majority of the sample resulted not familiar with dual career programmes (60%) and public authorities (69%), envisaging national dual career policies at university (37%) and sport (25%) levels. Multiple relevant dual career supporters at personal, sport, and university levels were identified, mainly parents (86%) and coaches (65%). To strengthen the potential of the student-athletes of the future, a dual career network should be established among several stakeholders, for transnational cooperation and sharing of knowledge and best practices through extensive communication between policy-makers, practitioners and those having a strong supportive dual career role (e.g., parents, coaches, and university sport staff).
48 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Huml et al. as mentioned in this paper presented a study on student-athletes' perceptions of academic centers in the University of Louisville's athletics program, which has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR.
Abstract: This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact thinkir@louisville.edu. Original Publication Information Huml, Matthew R., Meg G. Hancock, and Matthew J. Bergman. \"Additional Support or Extravagant Cost? Student-Athletes' Perceptions on Athletic Academic Centers.\" 2014. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics 7: 410-430.
39 citations
Cites background from "Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..."
...Research has shown student-athletes are more likely to choose a less rigorous major (Cantor & Prentice, 1996) or change to a clustered major the longer they attend higher education (Fountain & Finley, 2011) than other college student sub-populations....
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...Student-athletes may change to a major better aligning with their practice and/or game schedule (Capriccioso, 2006), rather than seeking a major of personal interest (Fountain & Finley, 2011)....
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Journal Article•
33 citations
Additional excerpts
...…including feelings of “otherness” due to time demands (Adler & Adler, 1991), racial isolation (Davis, 2014; Rhoden, 2010; Sellers, Kuperminc, & Damas, 1997), and academic isolation in the form of clustering (Fountain & Finley, 2009; Fountain & Finley, 2011; Schneider, Ross, & Fisher, 2010)....
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: Light is shed on a connection between academic choice and athletic identity between intercollegiate student-athletes and their Athletic Identity Measurement Scale.
Abstract: This study examines the correlation between athletic identity and academic major selection among intercollegiate student-athletes. A thorough review of literature focusing on academic clustering, athletic identity, and academic development leads to the development of two hypotheses - 1) student-athletes with stronger athletic identity will have a declared major of decreased academic rigor; and 2) student-athletes with stronger athletic identity will be more likely to be undecided on their major. Data were collected through a survey administered to Division I, II, and III student-athletes recording academic major and their Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). After analyzing the student responses, Hypothesis I is supported, while Hypothesis II is met with some limitation that leads to a lack of statistical significance. Overall, this study sheds light on a connection between academic choice and athletic identity.
30 citations
Cites background from "Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..."
...The researchers also recommend monitoring major choices made by their student-athletes to help reduce the prevalence of academic clustering (9, 10) and/or the frequency of choosing reduced rigor majors deemed by NSSE (32, 33)....
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..., coaches and administrators), and how it affects the academic and career trajectories of student-athletes (9, 10)....
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...One of these changes has been defined as academic clustering, which is when a particular population of students enroll within an academic major or courses, particularly seen with student-athletes (9, 10)....
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...Fountain and Finley (10) examined the media guides of a Division I football program over a period of 10 years and tracked the academic progress of the players from freshman to senior (graduating) year....
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...com 922 major choices (9, 10, 38), no previous study has directly examined the effect of athletic identity on major choices....
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01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: Huffman et al. as mentioned in this paper conducted a study to compare the perceptions of NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III college and university presidents regarding the impacts of intercollegiate athletics at their institutions.
Abstract: A Description and Comparison of the Perceptions of NCAA Division II and Division III College Presidents regarding the Impacts of Intercollegiate Athletics at their Institutions Aaron C. Huffman The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the perceptions of NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III college and university presidents regarding the impacts of intercollegiate athletics at their institutions. The data were collected with an anonymous online survey instrument developed by the researcher and sent via email using SurveyMonkey. The survey included Likert-type items that were divided into four subscales constructed from phenomena that were gleaned from the literature: (1) Financial Impact subscale, (2) Enrollment Impact subscale, (3) Marketing Impact subscale, and (4) Student Impact subscale. The survey was emailed to the entire population of all NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III college and university presidents (N=760). When data collection was complete, 323 responses (42.5%) were determined to be usable—147 NCAA Division II responses and 176 NCAA Division III responses. Four separate independent samples t-tests were used to compare the presidents’ perceptions regarding the impacts of athletics on each of the four subscales. The t-tests revealed that statistically significant differences do not exist between the two groups on the Financial Impact subscale and the Student Impact subscale, but a statistically significant difference between the two groups does exist for both the Enrollment Impact subscale (p=.014) and for the Marketing Impact subscale (p<.001). Descriptive statistics revealed that both the NCAA Division II presidents and the NCAA Division III presidents perceive that intercollegiate athletics impacts their institutions positively. The items from each subscale to which the presidents responded most strongly are also reported. Descriptive statistics also revealed that the presidents’ perceptions do not always align with the literature regarding athletics in higher education. Finally, descriptive statistics revealed that the NCAA Division III presidents’ perceptions are more divided regarding these issues than the NCAA Division II presidents. Implications for practice and future research are provided. NCAA DII AND DIII COLLEGE PRESIDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ATHLETICS iii Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank my doctoral committee for all of your time and contributions to this project. Dr. Sebastián Díaz, Dr. Ernest Goeres, Dr. Paul Chapman, Dr. Jack Watson, and Dr. Gonzalo Bravo—you have been an incredible team. Each of you has contributed to this culmination in important and unique ways. I can’t imagine having a better committee. I want to especially express my gratitude to Dr. Díaz for serving as my committee chairperson and all of the guidance and expertise that you have provided throughout this whole process. You have been the “rock” of my doctoral career from start to finish—throughout the coursework, comps, prospectus, and dissertation. You have been my teacher, my mentor, and my advisor—and now my friend and colleague. Thank you for everything. I will always be grateful. Thank you, Dr. Goeres, for always being there for guidance and keeping our cohort on track through all of the transitions. Thank you, Dr. Chapman, for all of the extra help navigating the new IRB system and the general guidance and support along the way. Thank you, Dr. Watson, for your expertise, extra availability, and guidance, especially with survey design and implementation. I am very grateful for all of your extra time you spent with me. Thank you, Dr. Bravo, for your willingness to serve on my committee and the guidance and advice you have provided. I want to thank my doctoral cohort colleagues and friends—Dan Filer, Carrie White, Brad Cox, Jacob Sanwidi, and Jeff Terpstra—for all of the laughs, good times, jokes, and camaraderie. You actually made me look forward to all those trips to Morgantown! I want to thank Dr. Rhonda Noble, Dr. John McCullough, and Jim Watson from West Liberty University—thank you for all of your encouragement and support with this endeavor. I want to say a special thank you to my parents, Rad and Ruth Huffman, for always guiding, loving, and supporting me throughout my whole life. I want to thank my three children, Jacob, Jillian, and Joshua Huffman, for being my three little blessings. You mean the world to me and I love you. Finally, I want to thank my loving wife Courtney Huffman for everything you have done and sacrificed in order for this to be accomplished. Thank you for taking care of our children during this process and showering our home with your love. You are my best friend—my “other half”—my blessing. I love you! NCAA DII AND DIII COLLEGE PRESIDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ATHLETICS iv Table of
27 citations
Cites result from "Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..."
...Other studies have not only confirmed the existence of academic clustering among athletes (Adler & Adler, 1991, pp. 63-64; Fizel & Smaby, 2004; Fountain & Finley, 2011; Lederman, 2003; Otto, 2012; Schneider, Ross, & Fisher, 2010; Suggs, 2003), but have also shown a higher level of academic…...
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References
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01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the football media guides from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to determine the academic majors of upperclassmen to explore whether race could be a factor in academic clustering.
Abstract: Studies on graduation rates of college athletes have typically utilized subdivisions based on race, gender, and sport to allow for more transparent scrutiny of potential problem areas. However, subdivision by race has not been utilized when examining clustering of football players into academic majors. Clustering occurs when 25% or more of an athletic team shares a single academic major (Case, Greer, & Brown, 1987). Football media guides from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools were utilized to determine the academic majors of upperclassmen to explore whether race could be a factor in academic clustering. The results showed that Minority players were clustered into specific academic programs at greater rates than their White counterparts. While academic clustering occurred for both White and Minority players, the clustering of Minority players involved greater numbers of players enrolled in clustered majors, as well as the existence of a second clustered major at several schools. At six of the schools in the study, 75% or more of the Minority players were enrolled into just two academic majors.
94 citations
"Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..." refers background or methods or result in this paper
...In examining the impact of clustering on players based on race, Fountain and Finley (2009) found that it was significantly more pronounced among minority football players who competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)....
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...Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution. will surely increase the ends-justify-the-means mentality coaches and administrators use to justify their morally questionable activities as it pertains to their athletes and academics (Fountain & Finley 2009)....
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...Previous research (Fountain & Finley, 2009) of football programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference found that this major was consistently a clustered program for players and minority players in particular at this school....
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...Replicating a previous method, (Fountain & Finley, 2009), photographs from the media guide were used to classify players into the dichotomous variable of white or minority, with researchers working independently and then comparing results to ensure reliability of assignment....
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...Fountain and Finley (2009) suggested that a football coach, clearly not wanting to lose athletic scholarships due to a low APR, has three options for maintaining or increasing graduation rates....
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01 Feb 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) exploited student athletes, should athletes be paid, does Title IX unfairly discriminate against men's sports, are the salaries of head coaches excessive? Why is there so much cheating in college sports? Should the sports department be subsidized by the university? Why do universities place so much emphasis on athletics?
Abstract: Does the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) exploit student athletes? Should athletes be paid? Does Title IX unfairly discriminate against men's sports? Are the salaries of head coaches excessive? Why is there so much cheating in college sports? Should the sports department be subsidized by the university? Why do universities place so much emphasis on athletics?
43 citations
TL;DR: While college athletics are supposedly maintained as an integral part of the educational program for the student-athletes who participate in them, an examination of the practices within the system can be found in this paper.
Abstract: While college athletics are supposedly maintained as an integral part of the educational program for the student-athletes who participate in them, an examination of the practices within the system ...
26 citations
"Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..." refers background in this paper
...In fact, clustering has been occurring and documented for decades (Renick, 1974)....
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine les analyses de Lee Sigelman publiees en 1995 sur les sections de football aux Etats-Unis, and montre que plus un etablissement est selectif plus cet ecart est important and un certain avantage a encadrer les etudiants sportifs avec des individus qui leur sont superieurs sur le plan intellectuel.
Abstract: L'A. pose le probleme du lien entre recrutement et performances scolaires dans les univerrsites disposant de sections sport-etude. L'A. examine les analyses de Lee Sigelman publiees en 1995 sur les sections de football aux Etats-Unis. Celles-ci montrent qu'il y a, parmi les etudiants recrutes, un ecart important, au niveau des resultats aux tests d'admission, entre footballeurs et non footballeurs. L'A. montre que plus un etablissement est selectif plus cet ecart est important et qu'il y a un certain avantage a encadrer les etudiants sportifs avec des individus qui leur sont superieurs sur le plan intellectuel
5 citations
"Academic Clustering: A Longitudinal..." refers background in this paper
...The current minimum eligibility requirements of the NCAA usually fall well short of the admission requirements set forth for the regular student body at many institutions (Butler, 1995)....
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...The current minimum eligibility requirements of the NCAA usually fall well short of the admission requirements set forth for the regular student body at many institutions (Butler, 1995)....
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