The Dumb Jock Stereotype: To What Extent Do Student-Athletes Feel the Stereotype?

Abstract

A common stereotype in our society is that athletes are not as capable of performing well academically as their non-athlete counterparts; they are "dumb jocks". Do athletes feel that others have lower expectations of them academically? This is important because previous research in education has shown that expectations play a role in academic achievement (for example, Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion effect (1968) and self-fulfilling prophecy research). The current study examined student-athletes' perceptions of this stereotype. Three areas were addressed: athletes' perceptions of their instructors and peers 1) awareness that the student is a student-athlete, 2) academic expectations, and 3) willingness to offer help with coursework. Differences across gender, race, and sport were also examined. The main finding was that student-athletes perceived their peers to have significantly lower academic expectations for them because they were athletes.