Sports Participation and Academic Achievement: Does Self-Efficacy Play a Role?

Abstract

This study sought to examine the relations between sports participation, academic achievement, and self-efficacy in high school students. Self-efficacy has been linked to both sports participation and academic achievement, but no study has examined these three variables together. One hundred eleven students from two schools filled out surveys examining their levels of sports participation, academic and athletic self-efficacy, and demographic information. Participating schools provided student GPA information. Results supported the study's first, second, and third hypotheses. Athletes had higher GPAs and academic self-efficacy scores than non-athletes. Additionally, there was evidence for an indirect effect of sports participation on GPA through the mediating variable of academic self-efficacy. Results did not support the study's fourth hypothesis, as there was no significant relation between academic self-efficacy and athletic self-efficacy among athletes in the present study. Results are discussed in relation to the student population and school environment.