Motivational correlates of sports and physical activity

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. The motivational aspect of athletes' commitment to training is an important indicator of their sports performance. However, there is insufficient understanding of the subtle dynamics that determine this commitment. The purpose of the study is to explore how athletes' motivation relates to their training duration across different sports. It also aims to identify the impact of intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation on training hours and to predict athletes' training commitment. Material and Methods. In the study, 60 college students participated. Data collection utilized the Sport Motivation Scale, which assesses three dimensions of motivation: intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation. Physical training hours were meticulously recorded by the instructor. A maximum of 14 hours of training was provided per week as part of a training module lasting one complete month. Players who were absent due to illness were excluded from the study. Results. A significant positive correlation was found between intrinsic motivation (r = 0.93) and extrinsic motivation (r = 0.919) with training duration per week (p < 0.01). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was observed between amotivation and training duration per week (r = -0.873, p < 0.01). Motivation accounted for 84.4% of the variance in predicting physical activity training duration. Furthermore, motivation demonstrated a significant positive relationship (β = 0.921) with physical activity training duration. Conclusions. The current research provides evidence that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are crucial for engaging athletes in physical training and activity. Furthermore, amotivation serves as a deterrent to good performance in sports. To foster continuous improvement, coaches and instructors must intervene by providing athletes with positive feedback and maintaining their interest in the game through a variety of sports skills.

Keywords

• comparative analysis
• teaching activity
• thematic content
• evaluation
• opinions
• performance standards