Athletic participation is the most popular school-sponsored extracurricular activity. Regarding the relationship between athletic participation and educational consequences, this study is focused on social networks of student athletes in high school. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of peer network on educational outcome variables (Study I), to identify how student athletes construct their peer networks among student athletes in school (Study II), and to apply a measurement model in polytomous multilevel item response theory for psychometrical evaluation. Data were longitudinally collected from approximately 300 student athletes in a local high school in the beginning and end of Winter season. In Study I, results indicated that the same team-exposure (interactions with athletes on the same team) had a positive effect on college expectation and athletic identity, while the different team-exposure (interactions with athletes on teams other than one's own) positively influenced academic efficacy. Also some fixed effects of team-level predictors were found. Results of Study II indicated that student athletes were more likely to choose friends to interact with if they were same gender and had a same team membership and similar orientation for going a college. They also formed peer networks that are different (not similar) in grade level, academic achievement, and perception toward their coach. Lastly, multilevel rating scale was an appropriate measurement model for the five items measuring peer interaction in this study in order to estimate the latent depth of interaction, which is suggested to be used when modeling the effect of interaction. Altogether, this study implies that athletic participation is not detrimental to educational outcomes. Instead athletic participation ameliorates peer relationships in school, which is a form of social capital for students to achieve their goals for academic, social, and physical wellbeing in school and future aspirations.
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