Raising the rim : a multiple case study to investigate academic support for high school basketball players.

One of the fundamental responsibilities of high schools is to prepare students for college academic rigor. High school academic curriculum is tied to college entrance requirements. Formal academic support programs to support the college readiness of high school basketball players is inconsistent (Woltring et al., 2021). Accordingly, the college readiness of high school basketball players is impacted negatively (Venezia & Jaeger, 2013). Universities have entrance requirements more rigorous than the NCAA initial eligibility standard (McMullen et al., 2020). The absence of programmatic academic support leaves some high school basketball players academically unprepared for university rigor (Czopp et al., 2015).

The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate three existing high school academic support systems for high school basketball players through the lens of self-directed learning. This study answered two research questions: What academic support activities are in place to support high school basketball players’ development of self-directed learning skills? How do programmatic academic support activities promote high school basketball players’ ability to choose appropriate learning strategies? Qualitative data collection included a questionnaire, interviews, and artifacts from the participants. Four participants from three high schools provided rich descriptions of their academic support activities. Garrison’s (2016) theoretical framework served as the lens for data analysis. Data analysis generated within-case patterns, cross-case analysis led to five findings.

This study’s findings emphasized the importance of adults working in concert with each other to support high school basketball players’ academically. Participants indicated that individual mentoring positively impacts student-athlete academic achievement. Participants also noted that using outside resources enhances programmatic academic support. According to participants, developmental goal-setting supports academic independence academic independence. Participants shared that developmental goal-setting supports academic independence academic independence. Participants reported that utilizing programmatic incentives increase academic motivation and morale. Understanding gained from this study benefits academic decision-makers and mentors who seek to improve high school basketball players’ college readiness.