This study explored the relationship between participation in sport and non-sport activities and freshmen persistence in college. Three categories of persistence behavior were employed: (1) continuing at the same institution, (2) changing institutions, and (3) dropping out of college completely. For men and women, involvement in sports increased the probability of continuing at the same institution. For men, involvement in sports also increased the probability of changing institutions. For women, the opposite held. Men who were involved in non-sport activities were more likely to continue at the same institution, less likely to change institutions, and more likely to drop out of college completely. For women, the opposite held.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdelmanC. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and Bachelor's Degree attainment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
2.
AshleyJ., & O'NeilJ. (1994). Study groups: Are they effective in preparing students for NCLEX-RN?Journal of Nursing Education, 33, 357–364.
3.
AstinA. W. (1972). College dropouts: A national profile. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
4.
AstinA. W. (1975). Preventing students from dropping out. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
5.
AttinasiL. C.Jr. (1989). Getting in: Mexican Americans' perceptions of university attendance and the implications for freshman year persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 60, 247–277.
6.
BeanJ. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 12, 155–187.
7.
BeanJ. P., & MetznerB. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485–540.
8.
BriggsC. L. (1996). Differences in degree aspirations and attainment outcomes between football or basketball players and other intercollegiate athletes. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Memphis, TN.
9.
CabreraA. F.NoraA., & CastanedaM. B. (1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling of an integrated model of student retention. Journal of Higher Education, 64, 123–139.
10.
CambianoR. L.DennyG. S., & DeVoreJ. B. (2000). College student retention at a midwestern university: A six-year study. Journal of College Admission, 166, 22–29.
11.
CarodineK.AlmondK. F., & GrattoK. K. (2001). College student athlete success both in and out of the classroom. New Directions for Student Services, 93, pp. 19–33.
12.
DeYoungS., & AdamsE. F. (1995). Study groups among nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 34, 190–191.
13.
EhrenbergR. G., & ShermanD. R. (1987). Employment while in college, academic achievement, and postcollege outcomes. Journal of Human Resources, 22, 1–23.
14.
GrossetJ. M. (1991). Patterns of integration, commitment, and student characteristics and retention among younger and older students. Research in Higher Education, 32, 159–178.
15.
HouseJ. D. (1994). College grade outcomes and attrition: An exploratory study of noncognitive variables and academic background as predictors. Paper presented at the Illinois Association for Institutional Research, Lake Shelby, IL.
16.
HyattR. (2003). Barriers to persistence among African American intercollegiate athletes: A literature review of non-cognitive variables. College Student Journal, 37, 260–275.
17.
LeppelK. (1984). The academic performance of returning and continuing college students: An economic analysis. Journal of Economic Education, 15, 46–54.
18.
LeppelK. (2002). Similarities and differences in the college persistence of men and women. Review of Higher Education, 25, 433–450.
19.
MarshH. W., & KleitmanS. (2002). Extracurricular school activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear. Harvard Educational Review72, 464–514.
20.
MincerJ. (1974). Schooling, experience and earnings. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research.
21.
OkunM. A.BeninM., & Brandt-WilliamsA. (1996). Staying in college: Moderators of the relation between intention and institutional departure. Journal of Higher Education, 67, 577–596.
22.
PascarellaE. T., & TerenziniP. T. (1980). Predicting freshman persistence and voluntary dropout decisions. Journal of Higher Education, 51, 60–75.
RobertsS. K. (1998). Using literature study groups to construct meaning in an undergraduate reading course. Journal of Teacher Education, 49, 366–371.
25.
RobstJ.KeilJ., & RussoD. (1998). The effect of gender composition on student retention. Economics of Education Review, 17, 429–439.
26.
SedlacekW. E., & Adams-GastonJ. (1992). Predicting the academic success of student-athletes using SAT and non-cognitive variables. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 724–727.
27.
SpadyW. G. (1970). Dropouts from higher education: An interdisciplinary review and synthesis. Interchange, 1, 64–85.
28.
SpadyW. G. (1971). Dropouts from higher education: Toward an empirical model. Interchange, 2, 38–62.
29.
TintoV. (1993) Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
30.
TintoV. (1997). Classrooms as communities. The Journal of Higher Education, 68, 599–623.
31.
VarianH. R. (1993). Intermediate microeconomics. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
