MOTIVATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN INFORMAL SPORTS WITHIN CAMPUS RECREATIONAL SPORTS

Abstract

This study examined the varying motivational factors among college students participating in informal sports. The Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS) developed and tested by Beard and Ragheb (1983) was the instrument used to direct the data collection for the study. The LMS identified four main factors that motivated people to participate in recreational activities: (a) intellectual, (b) social, (c) competence-mastery, and (d) stimulus-avoidance. Students enrolled in a Midwestern university during the spring 2009 semester were systematically and randomly selected to participate and only those who indicated participation in campus recreational sports were asked to complete the survey. An ANOVA was conducted to compare the means among various demographic items and the four motivational sub-areas to determine any significant differences.

Based on the results, motivations for all of the four-sub areas (intellectual, social, competence-mastery and stimulus-avoidance) were indicated. Overall, social and competence-mastery were shown to be the sub-areas with the highest motivators for students. Several of the independent variables (gender, class standing, place of residence and ethnicity) were shown to have an effect on motivations for participation within the sub-areas. Physical fitness motives were some of the highest motivators for participation across all independent variables. While many of the results were intuitive, some were not as expected. Such results were that males stated they were more likely to participate for social reasons than females and that females were more driven to participate in order to gain a sense of achievement. The findings from the study help gain insight into why students are motivated to participate in self-directed recreational sports. The results should aid recreational sports administrators in cultivating and enriching student involvement as well as modifying program offerings and facility availability to enhance student participation.