| Summary |
Various biographical and demographic factors associated with students at East Carolina University who passed and failed the required swim test were examined. Also, state and trait anxiety levels that may have contributed to student performance on the entrance swim test were assessed. Subjects (N=203) were administered the State and Trait Anxiety Survey (STAI), Biographical/Demographical Questionnaire (BDQ) and a consent letter explaining the study. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the sample as a whole, and then similarly for the pass and fail groups based on the outcome of the swim test. Frequency distributions and cross tabulations were also conducted for the variables that were ordinal or nominal. For continuous variables, the state and trait anxiety levels of a respondents mean and standard deviations were calculated. The Pearson and Chi-squared test was used to test for independence between the pass/fail variable and the respective characteristic variable (ex: sex, race, etc). Chi-square tests were conducted to check for traits that may be associated with one another and influence the final result of the swim test. Results revealed a .01 level of significance for the (BDQ) variables: race, prior swimming experience, aquatic facilities available and parents swimming ability for independence of the pass/fail variable. Witnessing a drowning, experiencing a near drowning and having a positive outlook on learning to swim were associated with the pass/fail variable at the . 05 level of significance. There was no significant association between pass and fail groups for state (Mean = 63.9) or trait (Mean = 63.8) anxiety. |
