Vernard Peed
Professor Jessica Seessel, Ph.D
Writing and Research 101
10 June 2014
High School Sports
I will be working on the topic, High School Sports. When I was in high school, sports played a major role with my academic development. The love of football is what kept me in class. I knew that if my grades dropped in any way I would not be able to play the sport I love. I chose this for my topic because I want to find out; Does high school sports play a role in a students academic development? Does it help the female athlete with her selfesteem? Are student athletes graduation rates better than nonathletes? By answering these questions, I will not only help myself but also other people (mainly politicians and high ranking school officials) see the importance of sports in our schools.
Although I know I need research to support this claim. It seems that whenever there is a budget cut within our school system, sports are one of the first things on the chopping block. I plan to answer the questions, So what? Who Cares?, and Why is it Important? Hopefully after my research it will clearly explain its importance not just in my community but nationally. I am a true believer that my topic has much significance. On a small scale I will be satisfied if my research helps just one school save its sports program. On a larger scale, I am also hoping to spark interest in even more research, not just for the sake of sports in schools, but any program that any of my readers might have an interest in.
My plan to obtain the information needed for my research project is by using a variety of different sources. By reading Chapter 5 in “The Craft of Research” by Wayne C. Booth;
Peed 2
Gregory G Colomb; and Joseph M Williams. I learned about how to use three sources, primary, secondary and tertiary sources. In the book Craft of Research.it states primary sources are the ones you find in texts on the topic you are studying, it also can be objects or maps. I will try and find my primary source at my local library, or the student library on campus. Secondary sources are reports that use data to solve research problems, they are usually written for scholars and professional researchers. They are also used to dispute other researchers conclusions and