Athletic Participation and Status of Alberta High School Girls

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between athletic participation and status measures of girls in six rural and small town Alberta high schools. The data was gathered in May/June 1970 from school files and personally administered question naires and athletic rating sheets. An athlete was defined as a girl who had participated in at least one interscholastic sport in the 1969/1970 school year. The results reveal that girl athletes are considerably more popular with their male and female peers and are more frequently members of the leading crowd as perceived by their peers and teachers than non-athletes. Quality and amount of athletic performance are highly and positively related to status measures. The socio-cultural and educational characteristics of athletes are very similar to those received by students who had status with their peers. As far as the investigated Alberta high schools are concerned, athletic participation serves as an important medium of status achievement for the adolescent high school girl.