Increasing Attendance
at Sporting Activities at
Lordsburg Institute of
Technology
Table Of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3
Hypothesis.......................................................................................................................... 3
Research Objectives .......................................................................................................... 3
Sample Methodology ........................................................................................................ 4
Analysis and Findings ....................................................................................................... 4
Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 26
Conclusion and Recommendation ................................................................................. 30
Appendix A: Survey........................................................................................................ 33
Appendix B: Descriptive Statistics……………………………………………….……35
June 17, 2009
Pat Gavin
President
Lordsburg Institute of Technology (LIT)
Subject:
Report on the Results of Increasing Attendance at Sporting Activities at LIT
survey
Dear Mr. Gavin:
Attached is a report on the findings of a survey administered to LIT students regarding
attendance at LIT sporting events. Along with the survey results are the analysis and
recommendations on ways to improve attendance at LIT sporting events
Information gathered was very conclusive and gave us the ability to recommend changes and
improvements that will hopefully result in larger attendance at LIT sporting events. We were
also able to gather input from students on specific activities they felt would contribute to higher
sporting event attendance.
We hope our research and recommendations will be useful in creating programs and an
atmosphere at LIT where students have a desire to participate in sporting events. Also, we feel
this desire will contribute to an increase in school pride and spirit. If there are any questions feel
free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Bob
Bobby Jim
Introduction
With the student sections at LIT Arena sparsely populated and bleachers nearly empty,
we began to wonder why LIT students weren’t attending sporting events. Other universities rich
in school tradition have high sporting event attendance and school pride, which are directly
related. Teams with traditions of winning also have higher attendance rates. Hence, our
research question is ‘why do LIT students rarely attend sporting events and what can be done to
boost attendance?’ To answer this question, we surveyed 100 students. We want to determine if
(1) LIT students take pride in their school, (2) LIT students believe LIT is a school rich in
tradition, and (3) what can be done to increase school pride and knowledge about LIT traditions.
We believe that LIT students would attend more sporting events if LIT promoted school
tradition.
Hypothesis
-
LIT students don’t regularly attend sporting events
-
LIT students feel LIT doesn’t have strong school traditions
-
LIT students would participate in events to promote school tradition
-
LIT students do not attend sporting events because LIT teams aren’t consistent winners
Research Objectives
-
Determine reasons why LIT students do not attend sporting events
-
Determine if LIT students have a strong sense of school pride
-
Determine if LIT students would participate in organized activities promoting school
tradition
-
Determine if LIT students believe their school has strong traditions and if students know
of LIT traditions
-
Determine what should be done to increase school pride and knowledge about school
traditions
Sample Methodology
Surveys were administered to 100 students around the LIT campus. Surveys were given
to classmates, students walking between classes, and students involved in athletics and other
student organizations. No students were pre-selected for this survey.
Analysis and Findings
(All analyses are based on 100 survey participants)
Question 1:
What is your sense of school pride/spirit?
Frequency
Valid
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
24
19.8
20.3
20.3
Mild Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
62
51.2
52.5
72.9
Weak Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
32
26.4
27.1
100.0
118
97.5
100.0
Total
Missing
Percent
System
Total
3
2.5
121
100.0
Most LIT students have a mild sense of school pride. It also shows that roughly one quarter of
students have a strong sense of pride and one quarter have a weak sense of pride.
Question 2:
Do you feel like LIT is a school with strong tradition?
Frequency
Valid
Total
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Yes
41
33.9
34.2
34.2
No
79
65.3
65.8
100.0
120
99.2
100.0
Total
Missing
Percent
System
1
.8
121
100.0
Most LIT students do not believe that LIT has strong traditions.
Question 3:
Would a greater focus on school tradition increase your school pride?
Valid
Yes
No
Total
Frequency
83
Percent
68.6
Valid Percent
68.6
Cumulative
Percent
68.6
38
31.4
31.4
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
An emphasis on school traditions would increase students’ school pride.
Question 4:
Would you have more school spirit/pride if LIT had better sports teams?
Valid
Yes
No
Total
Frequency
95
Percent
78.5
Valid Percent
78.5
Cumulative
Percent
78.5
26
21.5
21.5
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students would have more school spirit/pride if LIT had better-performing sports
teams.
Question 5:
Would you consider attending campus rallies and pep assemblies before sporting events?
Valid
Yes
No
Total
Frequency
70
Percent
57.9
Valid Percent
57.9
Cumulative
Percent
57.9
100.0
51
42.1
42.1
121
100.0
100.0
A slight majority of students would attend pride-building events before sporting games.
Question 5a:
How often would you attend per school year?
Valid
Missing
Frequency
7
Percent
5.8
Valid Percent
9.6
Cumulative
Percent
9.6
5-6
27
22.3
37.0
46.6
3-4
29
24.0
39.7
86.3
1-2
8
6.6
11.0
97.3
100.0
7 or more
None
2
1.7
2.7
Total
73
60.3
100.0
System
Total
48
39.7
121
100.0
Of students who would attend pre-game pride-building events, most would attend 3-6 times a
year. Only a small percentage would attend more than 7 times or as few as 1-2 times per year.
Question 6:
How would you rate your knowledge of LIT history/traditions?
Valid
Frequency
11
Percent
9.1
Valid Percent
9.1
Cumulative
Percent
9.1
Fair
42
34.7
34.7
43.8
Average
29
24.0
24.0
67.8
Little
29
24.0
24.0
91.7
100.0
Strong
None
10
8.3
8.3
Total
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students have a general (fair or average) sense of LIT history and tradition. Less than
10% of LIT students have a strong sense of LIT history and tradition. Approximately one third
of LIT students have little or no knowledge of LIT history and tradition.
How strongly do you agree or disagree that each of the following activities would boost
attendance at LIT games?
Question 7:
Pre Game Pep Rallies
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
Strongly Agree
22
18.2
18.2
18.2
Somewhat Agree
62
51.2
51.2
69.4
Undecided
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total
9
7.4
7.4
76.9
20
16.5
16.5
93.4
100.0
8
6.6
6.6
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students believe pre-game pep rallies would help boost school spirit/pride. Only one
quarter of students feel that pre-game pep rallies would not boost school spirit/pride.
Question 8:
Organized Tailgating
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
Strongly Agree
36
29.8
29.8
29.8
Somewhat Agree
54
44.6
44.6
74.4
Undecided
16
13.2
13.2
87.6
Somewhat Disagree
12
9.9
9.9
97.5
100.0
Strongly Disagree
Total
3
2.5
2.5
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students believe that organized tailgating would increase school pride/spirit. Roughly
10% of students believe that organized tailgating would not increase school spirit/pride.
Question 9:
Post Game Pep Rallies
Valid
Frequency
18
Percent
14.9
Valid Percent
15.3
Cumulative
Percent
15.3
Somewhat Agree
48
39.7
40.7
55.9
Undecided
25
20.7
21.2
77.1
Somewhat Disagree
16
13.2
13.6
90.7
100.0
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Total
Missing
Total
System
11
9.1
9.3
118
97.5
100.0
3
2.5
121
100.0
A large percentage of LIT students believe that post game pep rallies would boost school
spirit/pride. Nearly one quarter of students are unsure whether this would help or not.
Question 10:
Yell/ Cheer Practice
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
Strongly Agree
13
10.7
10.7
10.7
Somewhat Agree
33
27.3
27.3
38.0
Undecided
32
26.4
26.4
64.5
Somewhat Disagree
26
21.5
21.5
86.0
Strongly Disagree
17
14.0
14.0
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
Results here are unclear. Roughly one third of students agreed that cheer practice would help
improve school spirit/pride, but roughly one third of students believed it would not help.
Question 11:
School Tradition Orientation for Incoming Freshman/Students
Valid
Frequency
22
Percent
18.2
Valid Percent
18.5
Cumulative
Percent
18.5
Somewhat Agree
37
30.6
31.1
49.6
Undecided
35
28.9
29.4
79.0
Somewhat Disagree
15
12.4
12.6
91.6
Strongly Disagree
10
8.3
8.4
100.0
119
98.3
100.0
Strongly Agree
Total
Missing
Total
System
2
1.7
121
100.0
A large percentage of LIT students feel that a class about school tradition should be included in
freshmen orientation. Almost one third are still undecided.
Question 12:
One Credit Hour Class Dealing With School Traditions
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
Strongly Agree
19
15.7
15.7
15.7
Somewhat Agree
55
45.5
45.5
61.2
Undecided
31
25.6
25.6
86.8
7
5.8
5.8
92.6
100.0
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total
9
7.4
7.4
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students believe a one credit hour class about school tradition would boost school
spirit/pride.
Question 13:
Promotions and Giveaways at Games, Sporting Events and Spirit Rallies
Frequency
Valid
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
35
28.9
29.7
29.7
Somewhat Agree
58
47.9
49.2
78.8
Undecided
90.7
14
11.6
11.9
Somewhat Disagree
8
6.6
6.8
97.5
Strongly Disagree
3
2.5
2.5
100.0
118
97.5
100.0
3
2.5
121
100.0
Total
Missing
Percent
System
Total
Almost 75% of LIT students believe that giveaways and promotions at sporting events would
increase school spirit/pride.
Question 14:
Interactive Games during Sporting Events
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
27
22.3
22.3
22.3
Somewhat Agree
41
33.9
33.9
56.2
Undecided
36
29.8
29.8
86.0
Somewhat Disagree
11
9.1
9.1
95.0
6
5.0
5.0
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Strongly Disagree
Total
Roughly half of LIT students feel that interactive games during sporting events would help
increase school spirit/pride. Another quarter is still undecided.
Question 15:
Player Meet and Greet Events
Valid
Frequency
12
Percent
9.9
Valid Percent
9.9
Cumulative
Percent
9.9
Somewhat Agree
40
33.1
33.1
43.0
Undecided
47
38.8
38.8
81.8
Somewhat Disagree
16
13.2
13.2
95.0
6
5.0
5.0
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Total
Many students are undecided about player meet-and-greets increasing school spirit/pride.
Roughly one third believe it would help and roughly one fifth believe it would not help.
Question 16:
LIT Pride Club
Valid
Frequency
15
Percent
12.4
Valid Percent
12.4
Cumulative
Percent
12.4
Somewhat Agree
25
20.7
20.7
33.1
Undecided
52
43.0
43.0
76.0
Somewhat Disagree
13
10.7
10.7
86.8
Strongly Disagree
16
13.2
13.2
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Strongly Agree
Total
A LIT Pride Club could either work well or not at all. Almost half of students are undecided,
with the other half slightly slanted toward the belief that it would increase school spirit/pride.
Question 17:
Special Interest Stories Dealing With Aggie Tradition/Sports in the School Newspaper
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
31
25.6
25.6
25.6
Somewhat Agree
28
23.1
23.1
48.8
Undecided
32
26.4
26.4
75.2
Somewhat Disagree
17
14.0
14.0
89.3
Strongly Disagree
13
10.7
10.7
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
Half of the LIT students believe special interest stories in the school newspaper dealing with LIT
traditions or sports would increase school spirit/pride. Another quarter of students are
undecided, and one quarter do not believe it would help.
Question 18:
Other (Please Specify in the Space Provided Below)
Valid
Pride Publications
Missing
System
Total
Frequency
1
Percent
.8
120
99.2
121
100.0
Valid Percent
100.0
Cumulative
Percent
100.0
Roughly 1% of LIT students believe that pride publications would increase school spirit/pride.
Question 19:
LIT students have a strong sense of school pride/spirit
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
15
12.4
12.4
12.4
Somewhat Agree
41
33.9
33.9
46.3
Undecided
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total
6
5.0
5.0
51.2
44
36.4
36.4
87.6
100.0
15
12.4
12.4
121
100.0
100.0
Roughly half of LIT students believe other students have a strong sense of school pride/spirit,
and the other half believe other LIT students have a weak sense of school spirit/pride.
Question 20:
The success of our sporting teams determines the attendance at sporting events
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
52
43.0
43.0
43.0
Somewhat Agree
49
40.5
40.5
83.5
Undecided
10
8.3
8.3
91.7
7
5.8
5.8
97.5
100.0
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total
3
2.5
2.5
121
100.0
100.0
A vast majority of LIT students believe that the performance of LIT sports teams affects the
attendance at sporting events.
Question 21:
Yell practice or organized pep rallies generate more student involvement in school functions
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
11
9.1
9.1
9.1
Somewhat Agree
29
24.0
24.0
33.1
Undecided
42
34.7
34.7
67.8
Somewhat Disagree
23
19.0
19.0
86.8
Strongly Disagree
16
13.2
13.2
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
LIT students are split, with one third in agreeing, one third in disagreeing, and one third
undecided if organized pep rallies and yell practice would increase school spirit/pride.
Question 22:
Organized activities before, during and after sports events would encourage me to attend sporting
events
Valid
Frequency
21
Percent
17.4
Valid Percent
17.4
Cumulative
Percent
17.4
Somewhat Agree
44
36.4
36.4
53.7
Undecided
30
24.8
24.8
78.5
Somewhat Disagree
20
16.5
16.5
95.0
100.0
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Total
6
5.0
5.0
121
100.0
100.0
Roughly half of LIT students believe that organized activities before, during, and after sporting
events would increase school spirit/pride; one quarter are undecided and one fifth believe it
would not help.
Question 23:
I would attend tailgating if it was more organized and did more to promote LIT pride
Valid
Frequency
23
Percent
19.0
Valid Percent
19.0
Cumulative
Percent
19.0
Somewhat Agree
43
35.5
35.5
54.5
Undecided
29
24.0
24.0
78.5
Somewhat Disagree
16
13.2
13.2
91.7
100.0
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Total
10
8.3
8.3
121
100.0
100.0
Roughly half of LIT students believe that organized tailgating would increase school spirit/pride;
one quarter are undecided and one fifth believe it would not help.
Question 24:
The average student at LIT has a good knowledge of school history and tradition
Valid
Frequency
11
Percent
9.1
Valid Percent
9.1
Cumulative
Percent
9.1
Somewhat Agree
38
31.4
31.4
40.5
Undecided
15
12.4
12.4
52.9
Somewhat Disagree
40
33.1
33.1
86.0
100.0
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Total
17
14.0
14.0
121
100.0
100.0
Roughly half of LIT students believe that other students do not have a good knowledge of LIT
history and tradition, and 40% believe other students do have a good knowledge of LIT history
and tradition.
Question 25:
Should freshmen be required to take a one credit hour class that builds school pride and teaches
them LIT history and tradition
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Strongly Agree
14
11.6
11.6
11.6
Somewhat Agree
52
43.0
43.0
54.5
7
5.8
5.8
60.3
Somewhat Disagree
17
14.0
14.0
74.4
Strongly Disagree
31
25.6
25.6
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Undecided
Total
Over half of LIT students believe that freshmen should be required to take a one credit hour class
that builds school pride. In sharp contrast, one quarter of students strongly opposed this notion.
Question 26:
Football game attendance
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
None
20
16.5
16.5
16.5
1 or 2
39
32.2
32.2
48.8
3 or 4
46
38.0
38.0
86.8
5 or 6
16
13.2
13.2
100.0
Total
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students attend one to four football games per year, with only 13% attending give or
more games. Furthermore one sixth of students attended no football games.
Question 27:
Men’s basketball attendance
Valid
None
Frequency
29
Percent
24.0
Valid Percent
24.0
Cumulative
Percent
24.0
1 or 2
60
49.6
49.6
73.6
3 or 4
21
17.4
17.4
90.9
100.0
5 or 6
11
9.1
9.1
Total
121
100.0
100.0
Half of LIT students attend one or two men’s basketball games per year. Only one quarter of
students attend more than this and one quarter do not attend any games.
Question 28:
Women’s basketball attendance
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
None
68
56.2
56.2
56.2
1 or 2
42
34.7
34.7
90.9
3 or 4
9
7.4
7.4
98.3
5 or 6
2
1.7
1.7
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
Most LIT students do not attend women’s basketball games. One third attend once or twice a
year and only about ten percent attend more games than two games a year.
Question 29:
Volleyball match attendance
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
None
77
63.6
63.6
63.6
1 or 2
37
30.6
30.6
94.2
3 or 4
4
3.3
3.3
97.5
5 or 6
3
2.5
2.5
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
Most LIT students do not attend volleyball matches. One third attend once or twice a year and
only about six percent attend more than two matches a year.
Question 30:
Baseball game attendance
Valid
None
Frequency
52
Percent
43.0
Valid Percent
43.0
Cumulative
Percent
43.0
1 or 2
83.5
49
40.5
40.5
3 or 4
9
7.4
7.4
90.9
5 or 6
11
9.1
9.1
100.0
Total
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students either attend very few or no baseball games every year. Only 17% of students
attend more baseball games.
Question 31:
Men’s softball attendance
Frequency
Valid
None
1 or 2
Total
120
Percent
99.2
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
99.2
99.2
100.0
1
.8
.8
121
100.0
100.0
This question was our control question to ensure that people were taking the survey seriously.
Only one person out of 121 answered ‘yes’ to attending Men’s softball, which does not exist.
Question 32:
Women’s softball attendance
Valid
None
Frequency
105
Percent
86.8
Valid Percent
86.8
Cumulative
Percent
86.8
1 or 2
12
9.9
9.9
96.7
3 or 4
1
.8
.8
97.5
5 or 6
3
2.5
2.5
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Total
A vast majority of LIT students do not attend women’s softball games. Only 11% of students
attend such games.
Question 33:
Women’s tennis match attendance
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
None
111
91.7
91.7
91.7
1 or 2
10
8.3
8.3
100.0
Total
121
100.0
100.0
A vast majority of LIT students do not attend women’s tennis matches. Only 8% of students
attend such matches.
Question 34:
Men’s tennis match attendance
Valid
None
Frequency
106
Percent
87.6
Valid Percent
87.6
Cumulative
Percent
87.6
100.0
1 or 2
15
12.4
12.4
Total
121
100.0
100.0
A vast majority of LIT students do not attend men’s tennis matches. Only 12% of students
attend such matches.
Question 35:
Polo match attendance
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
None
112
92.6
92.6
92.6
1 or 2
8
6.6
6.6
99.2
100.0
5 or 6
Total
1
.8
.8
121
100.0
100.0
A vast majority of LIT students do not attend polo matches. Only 7% of students attend such
matches.
Question 36:
Other: Please Specify Below
Valid
1 or 2
Missing
System
Frequency
1
Percent
.8
120
99.2
121
100.0
Total
Valid Percent
100.0
Cumulative
Percent
100.0
The one person answer this question indicated he/she attended swimming events one or two
times.
Question 37:
Would you enroll in a class about LIT history and tradition?
Valid
Yes
No
Total
Frequency
26
Percent
21.5
Valid Percent
21.5
Cumulative
Percent
21.5
100.0
95
78.5
78.5
121
100.0
100.0
A vast majority of LIT students would not enroll in a class about LIT history and tradition.
Question 38:
Do you believe that there is a low level of school spirit and pride at LIT among the student body?
Valid
Yes
Frequency
93
Percent
76.9
Valid Percent
77.5
Cumulative
Percent
77.5
27
22.3
22.5
100.0
120
99.2
100.0
1
.8
121
100.0
No
Total
Missing
System
Total
A vast majority of LIT students believe that school spirit and pride at LIT are low. Only one
quarter of students believe it is not low.
Question 38a:
If yes, then which of the following do you feel contribute weak school spirit and or pride?
Frequency
Valid
Availability of Education
on School Traditions
Missing
System
Percent
15
12.4
106
87.6
Total
121
100.0
Valid
Number of Pep Rallies
Frequency
5
Percent
4.1
Missing
System
116
95.9
121
100.0
Total
Frequency
Percent
Valid
Performance of
Sports Teams
83
68.6
Missing
System
38
31.4
121
100.0
Total
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
100.0
100.0
Valid Percent
100.0
Cumulative
Percent
100.0
Valid Percent
100.0
Cumulative
Percent
100.0
Most LIT students believe that weak school spirit and pride on campus is due to the performance
of LIT sports teams.
Question 39:
Sex
Valid
Male
Frequency
83
Percent
68.6
Valid Percent
68.6
Cumulative
Percent
68.6
38
31.4
31.4
100.0
121
100.0
100.0
Female
Total
Twice as many men participated in this survey.
Question 40:
Age
Valid
18-24
Frequency
114
Percent
94.2
Valid Percent
94.2
Cumulative
Percent
94.2
25-30
3
2.5
2.5
96.7
31-34
2
1.7
1.7
98.3
100.0
40+
Total
2
1.7
1.7
121
100.0
100.0
Most LIT students who were surveyed were between 18 and 24 years old; only 6% fell outside
this range.
Question 41:
College enrolled in
Frequency
Valid
Cumulative
Percent
65
53.7
54.2
54.2
Arts and Sciences
18
14.9
15.0
69.2
4
3.3
3.3
72.5
10
8.3
8.3
80.8
6
5.0
5.0
85.8
100.0
Engineering
Health/ Soc. svs.
Ag/ Home Econ.
Total
Total
Valid Percent
Business/ Econ
Education
Missing
Percent
System
17
14.0
14.2
120
99.2
100.0
1
.8
121
100.0
Half the surveyed students surveyed were enrolled in the College of Business. Students enrolled
in Arts and Sciences and Agriculture and Home Economics contributed to about one third of
students who took the survey. All other colleges were represented by less than ten percent.
Question 42:
Class Standing
Frequency
Valid
Cumulative
Percent
12
9.9
10.0
10.0
Sophomore
20
16.5
16.7
26.7
Junior
36
29.8
30.0
56.7
Senior
49
40.5
40.8
97.5
100.0
Total
Total
Valid Percent
Freshman
Graduate/ Ph D
Missing
Percent
System
3
2.5
2.5
120
99.2
100.0
1
.8
121
100.0
Most of the students surveyed were upper classmen (juniors and seniors); they accounted for
roughly 70% of students surveyed. Sophomores accounted for one sixth of respondents and
freshmen accounted for roughly 10% of respondents.
Cross Tabulations
Perceived level of School Pride vs. Football Attendance
Cases
Valid
N
Perceived level of
school spirit/ pride *
football cross tab
Missing
Percent
118
N
97.5%
Percent
3
1-4 Games
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
N
2.5%
football cross tab
Perceived
level of
school spirit/
pride
Total
121
100.0%
Total
5 or more
4
20
24
Mild Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
29
33
62
Low Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
24
8
32
57
61
118
Total
Percent
Chi-Square Tests
Value
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases
Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
df
18.811(a)
20.139
2
2
.000
.000
18.641
1
.000
118
a 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 11.59.
School Spirit vs. Football Attendence
35
Number of Respondents
30
25
20
1-4 Games
5 or more
15
10
5
0
Strong Sense of
School Pride/
Spirit
Mild Sense of
School Pride/
Spirit
Low Sense of
School Pride/
Spirit
Percieved Level of Spirit
Students attending four or fewer games
were most likely to self- identify as
having a mild to low school spirit; in
contrast, students attending six or more
games were most likely to have either a
mild or strong school spirit. Thus, students
who attend LIT football games regularly
are more likely to have a stronger sense of
school spirit than students who attend less
often. The high incidence of mild school
spirit can be explained in both groups
because of the grouping of categories in
order to achieve statistical significance in
the chi square testing.
Perceived Level of School Pride vs. Knowledge of Traditions
Cases
Valid
N
Perceived level of
school spirit/ pride *
knowledge crosstab
Missing
Percent
118
N
97.5%
Total
Percent
3
N
2.5%
Percent
121
knowledge crosstab
Strong
Perceived
level of
school spirit/
pride
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
Fair
100.0%
Total
Average
Little to
none
9
12
2
1
24
Mild Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
2
28
18
14
62
Low Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
0
2
8
22
32
11
42
28
37
118
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Value
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases
Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
df
61.237(a)
60.567
6
6
.000
.000
46.660
1
.000
118
a 2 cells (16.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 2.24.
Knowledge of Traditions vs. School Spirit
30
Number of Repsondents
25
20
Strong Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
Mild Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
15
Low Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
10
5
0
Strong
Fair
Average
Little to
none
Percieved Level of Knowledge
People who identified themselves as
having little to no knowledge of school
tradition were much more likely to have
responded as having a weak school
spirit. No respondents who said they
had high levels of knowledge responded
as having weak school spirit, and the
largest number of students who said
they had mild school spirit responded as
having a fair knowledge of tradition.
This shows that a student’s level of
knowledge about school tradition
greatly affects their school spirit.
Self-Reported School Spirit vs. Perceived School-Levels of School Spirit
Cases
Valid
N
Perceived level of school
spirit/ pride * Do you feel
that there is a weak school
spirit and pride at LIT
among the student body?
Missing
Percent
118
N
97.5%
Total
Percent
3
2.5%
N
Percent
121
100.0%
Is there a low level of
pride at LIT?
Yes
Perceived
level of
school spirit/
pride
No
Total
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
13
11
24
Mild Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
50
12
62
Low Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
29
3
32
92
26
118
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases
Value
11.157(a)
10.510
2
2
Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
.004
.005
1
.002
df
9.919
118
a 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 5.29.
Personal vs. Campus Wide School Pride
60
Do you
feel
there is
a low
level of
school
Pride at
NMSU?
Number of Respondents
50
40
30
Yes
No
20
10
0
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
Mild Sense of School Low Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
Pride/ Spirit
Personal School Pride
This cross tabulation relates
personal levels of school pride
to perceived levels of school
pride campus wide. A majority
of respondents who said they
believe that LIT is a school with
weak school pride had either a
mild or weak level of school
pride. A few students thought
that LIT was a school with high
levels of school pride.
School Pride vs. Pep Rallies Helping to Boost School Pride
Cases
Valid
N
Perceived level of
school spirit/ pride *
activities crosstab
Missing
Percent
118
N
97.5%
Total
Percent
3
N
2.5%
121
activities crosstab
Strongly/
Strongly/
Somewhat
Somewhat
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Perceived
level of
school spirit/
pride
Percent
Total
Strong Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
21
3
0
24
Mild Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
34
21
7
62
Low Sense of
School Pride/ Spirit
8
5
19
32
63
29
26
118
Total
100.0%
Chi-Square Tests
Value
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases
Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
df
43.519(a)
43.625
4
4
.000
.000
32.460
1
.000
118
a 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 5.29.
Perceieved School Spirit vs. Usefullness of Pep
Rallies
40
Number of Respondents
35
30
Strong Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
25
Mild Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
20
15
Low Sense of School
Pride/ Spirit
10
5
0
Strongly/
Somewhat
Agree
Undecided
Strongly/
Somewhat
Disagree
Pep Rallies Would Help Boost
School Spirit
Most respondents identifying
themselves as having mild to strong
school pride also thought that having
more pep rallies would help to boost
levels of school pride at LIT.
Students with low levels of school
pride mostly answered that pep
rallies would be ineffective. This
shows that positive/negative views
of pep rallies are related to high/low
levels of school spirit, respectively.
Willingness to Take a Traditions Seminar Class vs. Mandatory Class for Freshman
Cases
Valid
N
Would you sign up for
a seminar class about
LIT history and
traditions * freshman
crosstab
Missing
Percent
121
N
100.0%
Total
Percent
0
.0%
freshman crosstab
Strongly/
Strongly/
Somewhat
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Would you sign up for
a seminar class about
LIT history and
traditions
Yes
No
Total
N
Percent
121
100.0%
Total
12
3
11
26
54
4
37
95
66
7
48
121
Chi-Square Tests
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear
Association
N of Valid Cases
Value
2.380(a)
2.103
.434
2
2
Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
.304
.349
1
.510
df
121
a 1 cells (16.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.50.
Number of Respondents who would Sign
up for Orientation Class Now
Orientation Clas for Resopondents vs. Mandatory
for Freshman
60
50
40
Yes
30
No
20
10
0
Strongly/
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Strongly/
Somewhat
Dissagree
Level to Which Students agree a Freshman NMSU
Traditions Seminar Should be Manditory
Though this was our weakest cross
tabulation statistically speaking, the
correlation of answers was
interesting enough to deem worthy
of inclusion. Students who
responded that they wouldn’t take an
LIT tradition class were more likely
to believe that freshman should be
required to take such a class. This
could be due to time constraints as
students are further in their college
careers. A few students indicated
that they were neutral about taking
the class.
Limitations
During the design, execution, and evaluation of our research study, we encountered
various limitations and obstacles. One of the first limitations we encountered was choosing a
Likert scale that would accurately reflect the number of times students attended games without
overestimating their attendance. We found that using tables helped us to more easily design our
survey after many versions with individually listed scales for each question. When analyzing
data, we found that given the opportunity to answer undecided, respondents may have taken
advantage of this opportunity to save time in answering questions about which they were unsure.
The accuracy to which students answered questions about school pride and knowledge of school
tradition was based solely on their subjective opinion of their own knowledge, and may tend to
be skewed towards the higher end of the scales due to social desirability bias. We tried to
eliminate this bias as much as possible by ensuring respondents knew their answers were
anonymous. No questions were included for respondents to rate their school pride against other
schools; we believed this would be extremely difficult to gauge, though it may have helped with
comparative analysis. Another limitation of the data collected was the number of respondents.
Only 121 surveys were administered. With more respondents, the data would be more reliable.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Our research was very successful in determining what the students on LIT’s main campus
feel about their school spirit/pride and why they feel that way. Some of the questions asked in
our survey came back with inconclusive results; showing us that many of the things we believed
facilitated school spirit/pride were inimportant. In contrast, many of the questions asked in our
survey came back with significant results that have helped us determine the factors LIT students
feel strongly about and what they think creates school pride/spirit.
The vast majority of students at LIT feel that school pride and school spirit are low. At
the same time this same majority felt that their sense of school pride/spirit was mild at best. This
low sense of school/pride on the LIT campus was due to two main factors: sports teams and
knowledge of school tradition. Our results showed us that LIT students feel that there would be
more school pride/spirit if LIT had better sports teams. Current attendance at sporting events is
low; most students reported attending only a few times a year. Our results stated that better
performing sports teams would increase attendance. Although better sports teams would help,
students felt that events such as pre-game pep rallies and organized tailgating would also help
boost school spirit/pride. Giveaways and promotions at sporting events were also something that
students felt would increase attendance and spirit/pride at games.
The other main factor, knowledge of school tradition, was harder to decipher. The
majority of LIT students reported they had a good to fair knowledge of LIT tradition. At the
same time, however, the majority reported that LIT didn’t have strong tradition. This may be a
result of the social desirability bias present in this question. More emphasis on school tradition
would increase school spirit/pride as reported by our results. To accomplish this, most students
surveyed believed a class about LIT tradition should be included in freshman orientation. In
contrast, most students reported that they would not enroll in a class about LIT tradition. This
shows us that incoming freshmen should learn about tradition, but current students do not want
to take a class about it. This may be due to time constraints or simply being far advanced already
in their academic career.
From our cross tabulations, we were able to identify many relationships between key
survey questions. There is a highly positive relationship between attendance at football games
and personal school spirit. There is also strong correlation between low levels of school spirit
and low levels of knowledge about LIT tradition. Most respondents who identified themselves as
having weak school pride also stated school pride at LIT as a whole was weak. There was also a
positive relationship between personal levels of school pride and views of pep rallies as being an
effective tool to boost school pride, with most respondents with strong or mild school pride
believing that such activities are effective; in contrast, most respondents with weak school pride
saw such activities as ineffective. Also, most students who said they would not enroll in a LIT
traditions class indicated such a class should be mandatory for freshman.
Based on our results, we recommend that LIT schedule organized tailgating, have pregame pep rallies for sporting events, and strive to increase knowledge about school tradition,
especially among freshman. Organized tailgating with promotions and giveaways would attract
students, local alumni, and members of the community. It would get people involved and create
a reason for them to come to games, because the poor performance of our sports teams (mainly
football) is squelching attendance. Pre-game pep rallies generate enthusiasm and school pride.
Getting students involved in activities before a game will create a unity among them and get
more of them into the stadium. Increased knowledge about school tradition could create more
school pride and in turn create a desire to attend school sporting events. Knowledge about LIT
tradition would allow students to participate in activities and create new or continue old tradition
and pass these activities on to the next year’s freshman class.
In summary, we recommend the following methods be used to raise school spirit and
boost attendance at sporting events:
1. Creates a class for freshman to learn about school traditions and participate in them.
2. Encourage organized tailgating and promotions and giveaways at sporting events.
3. Schedule pep rallies before sporting events.
Taking these steps should increase school pride and sporting event attendance at LIT.
Appendix A: Survey
The purpose of this survey is to assess the levels of school spirit and pride here at LIT. Your time
and participation are highly valued and appreciated. Please take the time to respond to the
following questionnaire to the best of your ability, completing it as fully and honestly as
possible. Thank you.
1. Please pick the best response which most accurately describes your perceived level of school
spirit or pride for LIT. (Circle your answer)
1
Strong Sense of Pride/
Spirit
2
Mild Sense of Pride/ Spirit
3
Low Sense of Pride/ Spirit
Please circle your answer to the following questions:
2. Do you feel like LIT is a school with strong tradition?
1
YES
2
NO
3. Would a greater focus on school tradition increase your school pride?
1
2
YES
NO
4. Would you have more school spirit/pride if LIT had better sports teams?
1
2
YES
NO
5. Would you consider attending campus rallies and pep assemblies before sporting events?
1
2
YES
NO
If yes, then please answer the following question. If no, please move to Question #6.
5a. How often would you attend per school year? (Circle one of the following)
1
7 or More
2
5-6
3
3-4
4
1-2
5
None
6. How would you rate your knowledge of LIT history/ tradition? (Circle your answer)
1
Strong
2
Fair
3
Average
4
Little
5
None
How strongly do you agree or disagree that each of the following activities would boost
attendance at LIT games? (Please check your answer in the columns below)
Activity
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Undecided
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
7. Pre Game Pep Rallies
8. Organized Tailgating
9. Post Game Pep Rallies
10. Yell/Cheer Practice
11. School Traditions Orientation for
Incoming Freshman/Students
12. One Credit Class Dealing With School
Traditions
13. Promotions and Giveaways at Games,
Sporting Events and Spirit Rallies
14. Interactive Games During Events
15. Player Meet and Greet Events
16. Aggie Pride Club
17. Special Interest Stories Dealing With
Aggie Traditions/Sports in the Round Up
18. Other (Please Specify)
Please check the column that corresponds with how much you feel each of the following choices
would help to raise school pride/spirit.
Statement
19. LIT students have a strong sense of
school pride/spirit.
20. The success of LIT sports teams
determines home attendance.
21. Yell practice or organized pep rallies
generate more student involvement.
22. Organized activities before, during, and
after sports events would encourage me to
attend sporting events.
23. I would attend tailgating if it was more
organized and did more to promote pride.
24. The average student at LIT has a good
knowledge of school history and tradition.
25. Freshmen should be required to take a
one credit class that builds school pride and
teaches LIT history and tradition.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Undecided
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Please check the column that corresponds to the number of home games or tournaments
that you have attended in the most recent season for each corresponding sport:
Home Games or Tournaments Attended
None
1 or 2 3 or 4 5 or 6
7 or
more
Sport
26. Football
27. Men’s Basketball
28. Women’s Basketball
29.Volleyball
30. Baseball
31. Men’s Softball
32.Women’s Softball
33.Women’s Tennis
34.Men’s Tennis
35. Polo
36. Other (Please Specify)
37. Would you enroll in a class about LIT history and tradition? (Please circle your answer)
1
YES
2
NO
38. Do you believe that there is a low level of school spirit and pride at LIT among the student
body? (Please circle your answer)
1
YES
2
NO
If yes, please go to the next question. If no, then please move on to Question #39.
38a. If yes, then which of the following do you believe contribute to weak school spirit and or
pride? (Please circle all that apply)
1
Availability of Education on School Tradition
2
3
4
Number of Pep Rallies
Performance of Sports Teams
Other (Please specify)
Please circle you answer below.
39. Sex
Male
Female
40. Age
18-24
25-30
31-34
35-40
40+
41. College enrolled in:
1
College of
Business
2
Arts and
Sciences
3
Education
4
Engineering
5
Health/
Social Svs.
6
Ag/ Home
Econ.
42. Class Standing
1
Freshman
2
Sophomore
3
Junior
4
Senior
5
Graduate/PhD
Appendix B: Descriptive Statistics
Notes
Output Created
14-NOV-2006 17:47:35
Comments
Input
Data
H:\My Documents\MKTG
310\mktg310.sav
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Resources
121
Elapsed Time
0:00:00.07
Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Perceived level of school
spirit/ pride
118
1
3
2.07
.688
Do you feel LIT is a school
with strong traditions?
120
1
2
1.66
.476
121
1
2
1.31
.466
121
1
2
1.21
.412
121
1
2
1.42
.496
73
1
5
2.60
.909
121
1
5
2.88
1.130
Would a greater focus on
school traditions increase
your school pride?
Would you have more
school spirit/pride if LIT had
better sports teams?
Would you consider
attending campus rallies
and pep assemblies before
sporting events?
How often would you
attend per school year?
How would you rate your
knowledge of LIT history/
traditions?
Pre Game Pep Rallies
121
1
5
2.42
1.160
Organized Tailgating
121
1
5
2.11
1.023
Post Game Pep Rallies
118
1
5
2.61
1.177
Yell/ Cheer Practice
121
1
5
3.01
1.221
School Traditions
Orientation for Incoming
Freshman/ Students
119
1
5
2.61
1.172
One Credit School Seminar
Class Dealing With School
Traditions Being Available
121
1
5
2.44
1.064
Promotions and Giveaways
at Games, Sporting Events
and Spirit Rallies
118
1
5
2.03
.960
Interactive Games During
Sporting Events
121
1
5
2.40
1.085
Player Meet and Greet
Events
121
1
5
2.70
.989
Aggie Pride Club
121
1
5
2.92
1.159
Special Interest Stories
Dealing With Aggie
Traditions/ Sports in the
Round Up
121
1
5
2.61
1.300
Other (Please Specify in
the Space Provided Below)
1
1
1
1.00
.
LIT students have a strong
sense of school pride/ spirit
121
1
5
3.02
1.307
121
1
5
1.84
.975
Yell practice or organized
pep rallies generate more
student involvement in
school functions
121
1
5
3.03
1.154
Organized activities before,
during and after sports
events would encourage
me to attend said sporting
events
121
1
5
2.55
1.110
I would attend tailgating if it
was more organized and
did more to promote aggie
pride
121
1
5
2.56
1.182
The average student at LIT
has a good knowledge of
school history and
traditions.
121
1
5
3.12
1.253
The success of our sporting
teams determines the
attendance at sporting
events
Freshmen be required to
take a one credit seminar
class that builds school
pride and teaches them LIT
history and tradition
121
1
5
2.99
1.440
Football
121
1
4
2.48
.923
Men's Basketball
121
1
4
2.12
.877
Women's Basketball
121
1
4
1.55
.707
Volleyball
121
1
4
1.45
.683
Baseball
121
1
4
1.83
.919
Men's Softball
121
1
2
1.01
.091
Women's Softball
121
1
4
1.19
.567
Women's Tennis
121
1
2
1.08
.276
Men's Tennis
121
1
2
1.12
.331
Polo
121
1
4
1.09
.365
1
2
2
2.00
.
121
1
2
1.79
.412
Do you feel that there is a
low level of school spirit
and pride at LIT among the
student body?
120
1
2
1.23
.419
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
15
1
1
1.00
.000
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
5
1
1
1.00
.000
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
83
1
1
1.00
.000
Sex
121
1
2
1.31
.466
Age
121
1
5
1.12
.586
College
120
1
6
2.38
1.874
Class Standing
120
1
5
3.09
1.037
Other
Would you sign up for a
seminar class about LIT
history and traditions
Valid N (listwise)
0
Descriptives
Notes
Output Created
06-DEC-2006 15:31:39
Comments
Input
Data
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documents\MKTG 310\mktg310.sav
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N of Rows in Working
Data File
Missing Value
Handling
Definition of Missing
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treated as missing.
Cases Used
All non-missing data are used.
DESCRIPTIVES
VARIABLES=V1 V2 V3 V4
V5 @5a V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13
V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21
V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29
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V37 V38 V39 @38a @38b @38c V43
V44 V45 V46
/STATISTICS=MEAN
STDDEV MIN MAX .
Syntax
Resources
121
Elapsed Time
0:00:00.05
Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Perceived level of school
spirit/ pride
118
1
3
2.07
.688
Do you feel LIT is a school
with strong traditions?
120
1
2
1.66
.476
121
1
2
1.31
.466
121
1
2
1.21
.412
121
1
2
1.42
.496
73
1
5
2.60
.909
121
1
5
2.88
1.130
Would a greater focus on
school traditions increase
your school pride?
Would you have more
school spirit/pride if LIT had
better sports teams?
Would you consider
attending campus rallies
and pep assemblies before
sporting events?
How often would you
attend per school year?
How would you rate your
knowledge of LIT history/
traditions?
Pre Game Pep Rallies
121
1
5
2.42
1.160
Organized Tailgating
121
1
5
2.11
1.023
Post Game Pep Rallies
118
1
5
2.61
1.177
Yell/ Cheer Practice
121
1
5
3.01
1.221
School Traditions
Orientation for Incoming
Freshman/ Students
119
1
5
2.61
1.172
One Credit School Seminar
Class Dealing With School
Traditions Being Available
121
1
5
2.44
1.064
Promotions and Giveaways
at Games, Sporting Events
and Spirit Rallies
118
1
5
2.03
.960
Interactive Games During
Sporting Events
121
1
5
2.40
1.085
Player Meet and Greet
Events
121
1
5
2.70
.989
Aggie Pride Club
121
1
5
2.92
1.159
Special Interest Stories
Dealing With Aggie
Traditions/ Sports in the
Round Up
121
1
5
2.61
1.300
Other (Please Specify in
the Space Provided Below)
1
1
1
1.00
.
LIT students have a strong
sense of school pride/ spirit
121
1
5
3.02
1.307
121
1
5
1.84
.975
Yell practice or organized
pep rallies generate more
student involvement in
school functions
121
1
5
3.03
1.154
Organized activities before,
during and after sports
events would encourage
me to attend said sporting
events
121
1
5
2.55
1.110
I would attend tailgating if it
was more organized and
did more to promote aggie
pride
121
1
5
2.56
1.182
The average student at LIT
has a good knowledge of
school history and
traditions.
121
1
5
3.12
1.253
The success of our sporting
teams determines the
attendance at sporting
events
Freshmen be required to
take a one credit seminar
class that builds school
pride and teaches them LIT
history and tradition
121
1
5
2.99
1.440
Football
121
1
4
2.48
.923
Men's Basketball
121
1
4
2.12
.877
Women's Basketball
121
1
4
1.55
.707
Volleyball
121
1
4
1.45
.683
Baseball
121
1
4
1.83
.919
Men's Softball
121
1
2
1.01
.091
Women's Softball
121
1
4
1.19
.567
Women's Tennis
121
1
2
1.08
.276
Men's Tennis
121
1
2
1.12
.331
Polo
121
1
4
1.09
.365
1
2
2
2.00
.
121
1
2
1.79
.412
Do you feel that there is a
low level of school spirit
and pride at LIT among the
student body?
120
1
2
1.23
.419
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
15
1
1
1.00
.000
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
5
1
1
1.00
.000
If yes, then which of the
following do you feel
contribute low school spirit
and or pride?
83
1
1
1.00
.000
Sex
121
1
2
1.31
.466
Age
121
1
5
1.12
.586
College
120
1
6
2.38
1.874
Class Standing
120
1
5
3.09
1.037
Other
Would you sign up for a
seminar class about LIT
history and traditions
Valid N (listwise)
0