Transition of freshmen student athletes

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore the transition of first-time, first-year
freshmen student athletes to the collegiate setting. By looking at student learning outcomes as
defined by their behaviors in critical domains (i.e., critical thinking, self-awareness, communication,
diversity, citizenship, membership and leadership, and relationships), the study evaluated the
differences between student athletes and non-athlete students at a specific institution and then
compared student athletes at that institution to their peers across the nation. Differences were
found in all domains between the student athletes and non-athlete students at the researched
institution, and differences were found between this institution's student athletes and the national
average of student athletes for self-awareness and citizenship. Based on the data, it was concluded
that institutions could implement strategies for improvement in all domains. Consequently, the
researcher provided several recommendations for support services to address deficit areas of the
student athletes at the primary researched institution.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Daniel Nadler (Supervisor)