-Disproportionate representation among groups. 

-Participation is correlated negatively with socioeconomic status. 

-Certain groups under perform academically and also participate less in sports.

-The environment around sports is dynamic and undergoes big changes in adolescent years.


Demographics and Sports Participation

•Research varies from correlational studies to longitudinal studies showing improved academics after physical activity.

•Higher participation in sports over lower participation athletes means better overall GPA, math GPA and class rank in both middle school and high school levels.

•Sport participation related positive feelings about school such as looking forward to core curriculum and decrease in school related social conduct problems such as fighting and misbehaving.

Sports Participation and Academic Achievement

Sports offer all Bandura's 4 main sources of efficacy including mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion and somatic/emotional states.  Young athletes who practice mastery imagery have higher livels of self-confidence and self-efficacy as well as social support from their teammates and coaches. 

Sports Participation and Self-Efficacy 

There are medium sized correlations between academic efficacy and GPA among high school students. Most specific was performance self-efficacy in relation to GPA and the highest GPA in which they believe they can attain. There have also been similar findings in college as well.

Academic Achievement and Self-Efficacy 

-Within the past century sports popularity has grown in size.
- There is evidence that sports provide both challenge and motivation which relates to one source of self-efficacy which is "mastery experiences" (Bandura 1997).


Syracuse University

-this study sought to examine the relations between sports participation, academic achievement, and self efficacy in high school students.

Self Efficacy Influence on Sport and Academic Achievement

Cole,A. (2014).Sports Participation and Academic Achievement: Does Self- Efficacy Play a Role? The University Of Arizona University Libraries 

-NCLB Act several major effects on American education. There is greater focus on alignment of curriculum and instruction as well directed attention on achievement gaps between different groups of students.
- Evidence of positive relations between sports participation and academic achievement suggesting sports teams may promote Positive Youth Development. 

Self Efficacy on Sport and Academic Achievement Introduction 

Self Efficacy on Sport and Academic Achievement Background Literature 

Question 1: Are there significant differences in GPA between athletes and non-athletes? 

Question 2: Is academic self- efficacy related to sports participation and academic achievement? 

Question 3: Does self- efficacy partially mediate the relations between sports participation and Academic Achievement? 

Question 4: For athletes, is athletic self- efficacy related to academic self-efficacy? 

Self Efficacy on Sport and Academic Achievement Research Questions 

111 students were taken from two high schools in Tucson, Arizona. The first school being a private college preparatory and the second being a public high school. There was no significant difference based on demographic measures but there was a significant difference based on physical activity. 




Methods 

The results of the study were found to support the first three hypotheses. For research question 1 : Athletes had higher GPA than nonathletes. Results found through a t test t(106)=2.75, p.01, d=.70) indicating a significant difference. For research question 2:Athletes had significantly higher levels of academic self-efficacy than non-athletes and significant correlation was found between scores on the academic self-efficacy measure and students’ current GPAs. Results for research question 3 results did not indicate a significant direct effect of sports participation on GPA however results indicated that an indirect relationship existed between sports participation and academic achievement through the influence of academic self-efficacy. Self efficacy partially mediates the relationship between sports participation and academic achievement. Lastly, for question 4 Pearson correlation showed that where was no significant relation. 



Results 

The first hypotheses results showed a medium effect size with athletes having nearly a half a point higher average GPA. Possible explanations include superior time management skills, structured programs that may have contributed to self- efficacy development or previous higher academic abilities that allows the time to spend away from their studies. By finding a positive relation between academic self-efficacy scores and GPA and by finding an indirect effect of sports participation on GPA through academic self-efficacy, this study extended the existing body of research suggesting that self-efficacy beliefs are positively predictors of students’ academic success.The positive relation between academic se in this study suggests that participants had an accurate awareness of their abilities to perform in the school setting The fact that data collected at the end of participants’ school year for one group of students and that majority of students were at least in their second year of HS is evidence for the reciprocal nature of self-efficacy beliefs and the individual’s environment. Results only PARTIALLY supported the idea that self-efficacy can transfer between the athletic and academic domains—this is because the present study’s results did not support the fourth hypothesis: no significant relation between academic self-efficacy and athletic self-efficacy scores were found. This could be due to lack of specificity inherent in self efficacy measures in the study . It is also possible students who participated In sports may have had higher levels of self-efficacy to begin.


Discussion 

The findings of the  present study were consistent with previous research documenting a positive relationship between sports participation and academic achievement and a link between academic success and self efficacy. Additionally, the present study found evidence for an indirect relationship between sports participation and GPA through the mediating variable of self efficacy with limitation however. 

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