Leveling the Playing Field: Faculty Influence on the Academic Success of Low-Income, First-Generation Student-Athletes

Abstract

Minimal scholarly research focuses on low-income, first-generation (LIFG) intercollegiate athletes. Student-athletes are a unique population on campus, and LIFG students face additional challenges related to academic achievement due to increased financial and family obligations. In this study, we provide a profile of LIFG student-athletes and examine the extent to which faculty interactions, concerns, and perceptions affect LIFG student-athletes' academic success in higher education. After controlling for student-athlete profile characteristics, faculty-student interaction was found to be the most effective predictor of academic success for LIFG and non-LIFG student-athletes. Our findings affirm previous research that suggests the importance of students’ college experiences outweighs the influence of their background characteristics when predicting academic achievement.