Does Gender Significantly Predict Academic, Athletic Career Motivation among NCAA Division I College Athletes

Abstract

American society has had college athletics at its core for over a century (Rader, 2009) and is ubiquitous in University life.  College athletes’ performances both on and off the field have been scrutinized in both popular and academic literature.  Other examples include the documentation in student development literature that meaningful engagement outside traditional classroom settings can have positive effects on a student’s (athlete or not) personal development (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). College athletes’ individual experiences have received considerable attention in the popular media and literature as the pressures to perform both athletically and academically are vast (Benford, 2007; Meyer, 2005). Previous studies have explored the athletic environment in terms of the emergence of leadership, team dynamics, team cohesion, and the motivational climate (Adie, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2008; Allen, & Howe, 1998; Balaguer, Duda, & Crespo, 1999; Medic, Mack, Wilson, & Starkes, 2007; Tsang, 2007).  Other studies have focused more on individual attributes such as motivation to perform and participate, perceived ability, perceived competence, personal satisfaction, enjoyment, and social status (Amorose, & Horn, 2001; Hollembeak, & Amorose, 2005; Reinboth, & Duda, 2004; Sheldon, & Eccles, 2005; Van-Yperen, & Duda, 1999). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of gender (men’s vs. women’s sports) on motivation towards academics, athletics, and career choice. Data were gleaned from male and female athletes at one large Midwestern NCAA Division I University using the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2) and the Student Athlete’s Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ). Data are discussed and analyzed using various statistical methods and using Harter’s (1978) theory of perceived competence and Nicholls (1984) perceived theory of motivational climate to answer the theorized research question and hypotheses.