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Association between Participation in Sports and Academic Achievement of College Students

Sports and academic performance of students has been a topic of debate for years. The supporters of sports program in educational institutions say that participation in sports improves students’ grades, academic achievement, raises their educational aspirations, and keep them in schools and colleges. Critics say that participation in sports deflects time away from the classroom and divert students’ attention from study. They further say that it is not possible for students to achieve excellence and satisfaction in sports as well as in education. A continuing debate about the role of sports and academic achievement of students has occurred since long but no consensus has been reached so far. In this context the present study was conducted to determine the association between participation in sports and academic achievement of students. The study was conducted in Government Colleges of District Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A structured questionnaire on three point Likert scale was developed and utilized for collection of data from 260 respondents (60 teachers and 200 students) selected through random sampling technique. The result of the study revealed that there is link between participation in sports and performance in education and participation in sports improve the Grade Point Average (GPA), class tests results, ability of students to succeed academically, and mental or cognitive development. This study also confirmed that Sports activities are very useful and helpful for enhancing the academic mission of colleges.