Emerson B. Marles, Jose A. Rodriguez, Jared S. Ellis
The present study evaluated the relationship between the participation in “non-academic” courses (physical education, arts, and family and consumer science) and overall academic achievement. We hypothesized that the participation in physical education, arts, and family and consumer science courses is associated with positive academic performance (higher GPAs, higher perceived educational performance, and higher educational attainment in general). Participants completed a three-part survey in which their educational scores and backgrounds were provided, their perceived educational performance was measured, and their basic demographic information was obtained. Results indicated…
I found this study quite interesting as I am a big advocate for the arts! Although your sample size was smaller than anticipated which limited your study, it seems as though you guys were on the right track and would attain important information in different settings. The “Muhlenbubble” Effect definitely limits the study since Muhlenberg is such a small school with often like-minded people. Perhaps at a larger university the study would have been more successful. Great job though!
What are some ways that you could have found a larger and more diverse sample of participants?