Understanding the Academic Struggles of Community College Student Athletes

When students begin their education at community colleges, they may face more obstacles to obtaining their college education than students starting in four-year institutions. Research has shown the importance of academic and student services in the support of student athletes, that community college student athletes are often at academic risk, and that the absence of support programs in local DIII community colleges is a significant problem. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive survey study was to identify community college athletes' academic goals, progress, challenges, and desired assistance in order to help athletes succeed academically. The sample was 21 full-time community college student athletes at an urban community college in a northeastern state. The results from the study showed that the portion of the athletic population studied is doing quite well academically. It appeared that student athletes share a lot of individual goals and academic challenges. Students were clear that forms of assistance including tutoring, mental health counseling, and advanced advisement would help them through community college. A recommendation for future research is to expand this study to other local community colleges within the same conference. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]