A Comparative Study Of Black Freshmen Special Admit Students And Regular Admit Students At Michigan State University PDF Download

This study investigated the academic progress of special admit football players compared to general admit football players at a private, Division I university in the western United States. Using mixed methods, the researcher quantitatively compared the two groups in terms of credits enrolled, credits attained, GPA and progress toward degree. The researcher also interviewed special admit football players to determine their perceptions of academic support service. Data answer the quantitative and qualitative study questions. Most notably, the researcher found that, while general admit football players had higher GPAs than the special admit athletics, the special admit athletes experienced the same amount of progress toward degree as their regular admit teammates. Furthermore, participant interviews revealed that athletes most value the learning specialists and tutors within the university’s support service framework. Discussion includes implications for practice.