Date of Award

12-2020

Type

Dissertation

Major

Doctor of Education

Degree Type

Ed.D

Department

Counseling, Foundations & Leadership

First Advisor

Jennifer L. Brown

Second Advisor

Kimberly McElveen

Third Advisor

Jennifer M. Lovelace

Abstract

Institutions of higher education face challenges to improve the student success measures of retention, progression, and graduation, which are metrics used to evaluate colleges and universities. One way in which many institutions have sought to increase accessibility to higher education and student engagement is through athletics; however, limited research exists regarding the lack of academic success of student-athletes at two-year colleges. Drawing upon a student engagement theoretical framework presented by Coates, the purpose of the causal-comparative research study was to examine the differences in perceived usage and impact of academic support services by two-year college student-athletes in Florida. The data were collected from 42 student-athletes, 13 athletic department personnel, and 13 academic support services personnel at three selected colleges in Florida who participated in the National Junior College Athletic Association using an online survey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVAs to determine if statistically significant differences existed between the groups. The study did not yield any statistically significant differences regarding the groups’ beliefs in usage and impact of various academic support services. The results indicated that academic support services may not be as widely or as frequently used to have the greatest impact on the academic success of two-year college student-athletes. The findings of this study may assist institutions with developing academic support resources to improve the academic success of two-year college student-athletes.

Download

Share

COinS