A preliminary examination of stereotype threat in student-athletes: College student perspectives of student-athletes in the classroom

Student-athletes face unique challenges when it comes to being successful in the classroom (Simons, Bosworth, Fujita, & Jensen, 2007). Many student-athletes have indicated a desire to succeed academically (Parsons, 2013; Simons et al., 2007), but several factors may thwart their attempts. Aside from the significant time requirement of intercollegiate athletics involvement (Ayers, Pazmino-Cevallos, and Dobose, 2012), student-athletes also may face a stigma in the classroom because of their athletic identity. Further, student-athletes have historically perceived being treated differently in the classroom by their peers and faculty based on their identity as an athlete (Fuller, 2011; Keller, 2002; Sailes, 1996; Stone et al., 1999). Based on a conceptual framework of stereotype threat, the way non-student-athletes and faculty members treat student-athletes has a large impact on how successful the student-athletes are academically. Therefore it is important to understand what their views are.
The overall purpose of this study is to examine perceptions of the behavior, ability, and treatment of student-athletes in the classroom through the eyes of both student-athletes and non-student-athletes, including their perception of how faculty members treat student-athletes.  Results will be discussed, along with a discussion on the trends and beliefs as they relate to the literature and prior results.