Student Athlete Success: Impact of Sport Participation on Student Engagement Among NAIA and NCAA Institutions

Although there is a great quantity of research on student engagement and its impact on learning and retention, limited research exists on the impact of sport participation on student athlete engagement; an even smaller amount of research exists on the impact of sport participation among different athletic divisions (NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA) and levels of student engagement. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of engagement in educationally purposeful activities of senior student athletes with their athlete peers across different athletic divisions. Additionally, this study assessed the independent demographic variables of gender and ethnicity. The study utilized data from the College Student Report, administered by the National Survey of Student Engagement, which is designed to assess students' engagement in educationally purposeful activities based on five benchmarks of student learning. The research revealed that a significant difference exists with student athletes' levels of engagement among the athletic divisions. The significant difference exists within the benchmarks: Academic Challenge (p = .000), Student-Faculty Interaction (p = .035), and Enriching Educational Experiences (p = .000). No significant difference existed within demographic variables of gender and ethnicity among student athletes by athletic division. The chief aim of colleges and universities and the athletic division that they represent should be the betterment of student athletes. To that end, it is essential for colleges and universities, as well as the NCAA and NAIA, to learn more about the experiences of their student athletes in order to ensure that they are benefiting from engagement in educationally purposeful activities. Athletic programs at every college and university across the country maintain a plethora of performance statistics on each and every athlete who plays for them. It would behoove institutions and athletic organizations alike to keep score not only of the grades and retention of their student athletes, but the quality of the student athletes' educational experience as well.