The Impact of Participation in Collegiate Athletics on the Academic Success of Female
Students of a Division III Liberal Arts College
Sara Fuller
December 2003
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of athletic participation on the
academic success and self esteem of female students of a Division III liberal arts college.
A comparison between in season and out of season data was made in the areas of selfesteem, study habits, and grade point average. Using a survey designed by the
researcher, data was collected from participants of the women’s field hockey team. The
findings of this study show there was a significant relationship between in and out of
season grades. There was also a significant relationship between out of season grade
point average and self-esteem, showing a relationship between grades and self esteem.
The findings show that the out of season grades for study participants were slightly
higher than the in season grades.