The impact of sport, urbanicity, gender, and demographics on high school coaches' perceptions of no pass, no play in Educational Service Center, Region 20, Texas

The major purpose of this study was to determine how no pass, no play has impacted the perceptions of academic player eligibility as perceived by high school coaches in Educational Service Center, Region 20, Texas. Variables such as coach characteristics, school characteristics, and community characteristics were researched. In addition, the study examined the influence gender and ethnicity of the coach had on their perceptions of no pass, no play. The study focused on the perceptions of coaches to no pass, no play relating to (1) student motivation, (2) instructional issues, (3) ethnicity specific variables, (4) student suspension variables. The relationship between poverty status in the district, annual household income, the type of sport, and demographic variables such as the gender, experience level, and ethnicity of the coach were also examined. Respondents? answers were dependent upon a number of variables. The gender of the coach was a variable that reappeared as significant throughout the study. The ethnicity of the coach and minority population in the school also showed to be significant variables. Lastly, the type of sport, poverty status in the district, percentage of economically disadvantaged students on the campus, the annual dropout rate, and annual household income were also variables that significantly impacted the study. Findings of the study included:

1. Female coaches were four times more likely than male coaches to believe that no pass, no play was an effective motivational tool.
2. Female coaches were 87% more likely to feel that allowing students to practice while they are ineligible to participate motivated students to stay in school.
3. As the annual household income in the district increased, so did the likelihood that the coach perceived students to feel threatened by no pass, no play, resulting in increased study time by the students.
4. The type of sport did not have an impact on coaches? perceptions that in order to influence student eligibility, parents and student-athletes challenge failing grades assigned by teachers.
5. As the number of ineligible students increased, the likelihood of an athlete making better grades following suspension decreased.