Should GPA Standards for College Athletes be Raised, or Rigidly Enforced?

[Name of Author]

[Name of the Institute]

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION3

1.1 Research Background3

1.2 Research Problem4

1.3 Research Question Statement5

1.4 Research Problem Statement6

1.5 Significance of the Research6

1.6 Research Hypothesis6

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW7

2.1 Academic Comparison of College Athlete and Non-Athlete Students7

2.2 Athletic Participation and GPA Scores - No Relationship8

2.3 Athletic Participation and GPA Scores - Positive Relationship9

2.4 Athletic Participation and GPA Scores - Negative Relationship10

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY13

3.1 Research Design13

3.2 Quantitative Research13

3.3 Significance of Quantitative Research13

3.4 Research Population14

3.5 Database of Student Information14

3.6 Analysis of Data14

References15

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

The objective of this research is to critically examine whether GPA (Grade Point Average) standards for the college athletes should be raised or should GPA standards for college athletes be rigidly enforced. The current research tends to examine this problem as there is growing concern and debates on various forums and scholarly studies regarding the academic performance and academic success of college athletes in today's higher educational institutions of United States of America. Almost across the all the scholarly research, media and public interest, the topic of GPA standards of college athletes have been constantly heated and reminded that success rate of student athletes in the colleges of country is not up to the results that it should be or that is expected for these students (Knight, 2004; Horton, 2009; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Emma, 2008; Eckard, 2010). One research of authors Dilley-Knoles, Burnett & Peak (2010), suggested that poor performance of college athletes in United States of America is commonly related to multi-dimensional factors in which poor GPA standards is highly correlated with poor academic achievements of college athletes. The research also suggested these student athletes from the very start or school level are not well prepared to go to college as compared across the country as compared to their non-athletic counterparts.

Accordingly, there is huge gap between academic performance i.e. is GPA of college athlete students and college non-athlete students. This huge difference is accounted for many researchers such as Carlson, Planty & Thompson (2005) and Rishe (2003) for low high school academic standards or GPA which previously hindered student athletes to perform in their college academics or college teachers allowing the athlete students to underperform due to their status as an athlete and substantially considering these students to have lack of time for study due to their participation in the sports.

1.2 Research Problem

There is growing concern over the academic performance of college athletes that is documented to be very low as compared to what was expected before (Shulman & Bowen, 2001; Stone, 2002; Zwick & Sklar, 2005). Seeing the gravity of the concern, NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) has taken various steps in last couple of years to ensure that athlete students perform in the college curriculum and earn substantial GPA. One of these steps included the NCAA mandate in which college athletes have to gone through certain academic standards for the entrance into the college. However, Zimmerman (1999) and Yancey (2007) argued ...