The female high school athlete and achievement : an analysis of race differences

Abstract

The major goal of this research is to examine the effects of high school sport participation on career and academic achievements for black and white females. Status attainment research provides the theoretical basis for this analysis. Data from two studies are used. The first, "The Southern Youth Study," was a longitudinal study conducted in 1966, 1968, 1972 and 1979. The second study, "High School and Beyond" involved a sample of students who were high school seniors in 1980. Achievement was measured in terms of grades, educational aspirations, adult educational attainment, adult occupational attainment, and adult monthly earnings. Causal models hypothesizing the relationship between sport participation and achievement were tested using path analysis; and, generally, the results showed that high school sport participation had positive effects on achievement-related variables for white females, but it had negative or neutral effects for black females. It was concluded that for white females high school sport participation helps to create an educational and social environment conducive to achievement.