Message Received? The Effect of Academic Socialization on NCAA Athletes’ Grad

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

By Paul A. Robbins & Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards

Dr. Paul Robbins & Dr. Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards published an article in Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics about how the unique academic support that college athletes receive does not appear to help their grades, but may affect their ability to develop independence.

For National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes, the nonacademic demands of competing at the highest level of school-sponsored sports can dominate their schedules, making it challenging to focus on academic and career growth (Beamon & Bell, 2011; Harrison et al., 2011). Although NCAA sports can provide college access as compensation, scholars have questioned whether competing in collegiate sports prevents many
NCAA athletes from having an educational experience similar to their peers’ (Bimper et al., 2013; Cooper et al., 2017; Jayakumar & Comeaux, 2016). Differences in educational outcomes often have been attributed to the curricular and time constraints facing NCAA athletes. However, it is important to also examine unique contextual differences that may expose collegiate athletes to psychosocially impactful academic messages.

Read the article here.