Example Of A Research Study Analysis Essay

Research Study Analysis #1

1. The search terms I used to locate this study were “achievement,” “high school,” and “athletics.” I used the SPORTDiscus with Full Text database to locate the study. I chose this study to analyze over the others identified in the search results for several reasons. First, the study researches the exact question in which I was most interested, which was, “How does the academic performance of high school athletes compare to that of non-athletes?” Secondly, after reading the study’s abstract, I was able to see that the researchers used many different measures to compare the achievement of athletes vs. non-athletes, including standardized test scores, GPA, graduation rates, and number of dropouts, and they made comparisons based on gender, ethnicity, and grade level; all of this allowed me to appreciate the depth of the study.

Reference:

Lumpkin, A., & Favor, J. (2012). Comparing the academic performance of high school athletes and non-athletes in Kansas in 2008-2009. Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision, 4 (1), 41-61. Retrieved October 10, 2015, from SPORTDiscus.

2. Half of the

The conclusion from the study was quite simple and to the point: high school athletes in Kansas during the 2008-09 school year reported higher grades, higher test standardized test scores, higher graduation rates, and lower dropout rates than non-athletes. The research shows that there are “clear and striking differences” between the performance of athletes and non-athletes in those academic measurements, and that in almost every area it was abundantly clear that athletes outperformed non-athletes. (Lumpkin, 2012, p. 54) The authors mention that their findings cannot ascertain any kind of causal relationship between athletic participation and better academic performance. However, they do state that their study shows that partaking in athletics in high school does at least seem to improve academic performance rather than detract from