An analysis of scholar athlete attitudes and behaviors, and academic excellence

The purpose of this research was to determine how, and to what extent, attitudes and behaviors of collegiate elite scholar athletes vary from attitudes and behaviors of non-elite scholar athletes and their academic success. This study sought to fill the gap in the literature with new information about academically successful athletes. The study used a sequential explanatory mixed-method consisting of two phases. In the first quantitative phase, athletes from two NCAA Division III colleges were asked to fill out the AMI and LASSI, along with an athlete information form. The second qualitative phase collected data from interviews with elite scholar athletes. The data collected from the two phases of the study offered a more comprehensive explanation of elite scholar athletes' attitudes and behaviors towards academic excellence. The mixed analysis from both phases offered five categories in which achievement motivation, learning and study strategies and elite scholar athletes' perceptions overlapped. These categories were "Self-Assurance," "Ambition," "Self-Control," "Study Strategies," and "Support Systems." Overall, the study supported the literature pertaining to achievement motivation, learning strategies, and athletes and academics. The findings from this study suggest that strong achievement motivation skills, learning and study strategies, and a strong support system can serve to predict student athletes' academic performance.