Interscholastic athletic participation and aspirations : an evaluation of school context and self concept

Abstract

This dissertation looks at factors which influence educational and occupational aspirations of black and white males. The research draws upon the recent literature in the sociology of sport to ascertain the impact sport participation has on aspirations. In addition, school context variables and social psychological variables are investigated. The variables were arranged in a causal model format to orient the testing of hypothesized relationships. The relationships were evaluated using data from the nationwide High School and Beyond Study (1980) and subsequent Sophomore Cohort Follow-up Study (1982), conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The research found that school context played a significant part in shaping educational and occupational aspirations of black and white males. The tracking context and rural context were most pronounced. Athletic participation was found to have an important impact on shaping the aspirations of black males. In general, the social psychological variables were found to be less influential. The hypotheses implied in the conceptual model were generally supported and the results have theoretical and empirical implications for research on high school athletics. Two major empirical trends were the consistent, positive effect of athletic participation on aspirations and the consistent, negative effect of rural residence on aspirations. These findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.