Academic and Athletic Ability as Popularity Factors in Elementary School Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of elementary school children toward athletic success, academic achievement, and popularity. Four hundred twenty-two boys and 380 girls in grades 4, 5, and 6 were surveyed to determine if they preferred to excel at sports, make good grades, or be popular. Both boys and girls expressed preference toward good grades. Subjects were surveyed to determine which students were more popular among their classmates, those excelling in sports or those making good grades. Subjects selected as outstanding academically or athletically were listed as popular more often than subjects not in those categories. When outstanding students, athletes, and student-athletes (outstanding academically and athletically) were compared as to popularity, it was found that among boys, athletes were somewhat more popular, while among girls, student-athletes seemed to be slightly more popular. A final question asked subjects to rank 4 factors as contributors to popularity. Boys ranked sports as most important while girls ranked grades first.