ABSTRACT This study investigated the academic progress of special admit football players compared to general admit football players, and special admit players’ perceptions of academic support services at a private Division I university in the western United States. Using mixed methods, we quantitatively compared the two groups in terms of credits enrolled, credits attained, GPA, and progress toward degree. We also interviewed special admit football players to determine their satisfaction with academic support services, then analyzed the data to answer quantitative and qualitative study questions. Most notably, we found that while general admit football players had higher GPAs than the special admit athletes, the special admit athletes achieved equivalent progress toward degree. Participant interviews revealed that athletes most value assistance from tutors and learning specialists in the university’s support service framework, as well as supportive relationships. Discussion includes implications for further research and practice.

中文翻译：

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特殊录取的大学橄榄球运动员的学术经验：与一般录取和支持服务观相比的进步

摘要这项研究调查了特殊录取足球运动员与普通录取足球运动员相比的学术进步，以及特殊录取足球运动员对美国西部一所私立I类大学的学术支持服务的看法。使用混合方法，我们在入学学分，获得的学分，GPA和学位升学方面对两组进行了定量比较。我们还采访了特殊入场的足球运动员，以确定他们对学术支持服务的满意度，然后分析数据以回答定量和定性研究问题。最值得注意的是，我们发现，尽管普通入学足球运动员的GPA高于特殊录取运动员的水平，但特殊录取运动员的学位取得了同等的进步。参与者的访谈显示，运动员最看重大学支持服务框架中的辅导员和学习专家的帮助以及支持性关系。讨论包括对进一步研究和实践的启示。