Division I intercollegiate student-athletes represent a unique population of college students on college campuses today because they face competing demands between the student and athlete roles. Without the proper environment and motivation for academic performance, some Division I student-athletes are unable to obtain a college degree and leave the college environment unprepared for life after college athletics. The purpose of this study was to examine what motivates Division I student-athletes to perform academically as well as athletically. A better understanding of the influence of motivation on student-athletes upon academic performance will help improve instruction and advising, as well as the academic success of student-athletes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine significant means on each of the variables and to examine significant differences among subgroups of student-athletes. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to look for any effects. Multiple correlation analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between the motivational variables with academic and athletic performance. Finally, multiple regression was utilized to determine whether academic self-efficacy and academic goal orientation predicted the academic performance of student-athletes. Findings indicate that significant differences exist in the motivational orientation of student-athletes when examining gender, recruited status, and starter status. Also, academic self-efficacy was the strongest single predictor of academic performance. It was concluded however, that academic self-efficacy and academic achievement motivation together, more so than independently, as well as overall college experiences could be used to predict the academic performance of Division I student-athletes.
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