Student Athletes Are Stereotyped And Academic Performance

As previously mentioned, a common area student-athletes are stereotyped is academic performance. As part of the dumb jock stereotype, student-athletes are seen as being academically inept. That is not always the case, however, as college athletes can perform at the same or higher level than their nonathlete peers. In a classic study examining athletes’ academic performance, Adler Adler (1985) used participant observation to study a major college basketball program for four years. These scholars found that many athletes actually â€Å"enter college with optimistic and idealistic goals and attitudes about their impending academic careers† (Adler Adler, 1985, p. 241). After experiencing college life, including the stigmas associated with†¦show more content†¦Instead, it did not affect student-athletes’ academic performance. On the other hand, academic performance can fluctuate based on whether student-athletes are in-season or out-of-season. Scott, Paskus , Miranda, Petr, McArdle (2008) conducted a series of three studies at schools in each of the three NCAA divisions (Division I, Division III, and Division III). The research focused on student-athletes’ academic performance both in-season and out-of-season. The sample consisted of several thousand student-athletes. Across all divisions, results consistently showed that college athletes do better academically during the offseason. In some instances, however, involvement in athletics can have a positive impact. Whitley (1999) used data from 285,805 students in North Carolina from 1993-1996. Granted, the students in this study were in high school, but the results are still significant for a discussion about the stereotype of the dumb jock. Namely, Whitley (1999) discovered student-athletes had a higher GPA than nonathletes. They also had fewer absences, discipline referrals, dropouts and more dropouts than nonathletes. Therefore, student-athletes may even outperform typical st udents when it comes to academic success. Alcohol use A second area where student-athletes are often unfairly stereotyped is alcohol use. Even fellow college athletes have been shown to overestimate the drinking habits of their peers (Perkins Show MoreRelatedHow a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance by Shankar Vedantam657 Words   |  3 Pages Shankar Vedantam, author of Hidden Brain and NPR science correspondent informs and advocates for equality in the education system in his article â€Å"How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance† published in the Washington Post (2009). Vedantam begins his article by interacting with the audience while he asks a question,and he cites Sociologist Min-Hsuing Huang’s research on the influence that the environment has on a minority. 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