An examination of developmental assets and academic performance in higher education sport students

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the magnitude and direction of the relationship between developmental assets (subcategories and domain levels) and academic achievement in British students. Based on the existing theory I hypothesised that total asset score, individual asset groups (internal and external assets), and the eight asset subcategories would have a moderate to a large positive relationship with academic achievement. 232 participants were recruited from a second-year compulsory research methods module for undergraduate sport and exercise science students at a UK based university. The participants completed the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) at the beginning of the course, and their final module grade was recorded after the course had finished. Pearson’s correlation between assets and grade score revealed several significant relationships. The strongest subcategory correlation was between commitment to learning and grade score. The strongest domain level correlation was between internal assets and grade score. The current study provides evidence that developmental assets are positively associated with grade score in university students; however, the size of the relationship is smaller than previously suggested.