Motivational factors related to female participation in collegiate sports

Abstract

Despite the many health benefits, physical activity trends in females have been consistently reported to be lower than that of males. Other demographic variables may also be related to sport participation. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that motivate college females to participate in sports. This was a cross sectional, causal-comparative survey study. Eight motivational factors were explored: fitness, skill/mastery, enjoyment, affiliation/recognition, team factors, ego/competition, parental support, and external rewards. Female college athletes (N=82) from two post-secondary institutions were surveyed using the 35-item Modified Sports Motivation Survey. Results indicated that all factors were important to participants with significant differences found according to eligibility in the motivational factor of fitness. This study represents one of the most comprehensive to date looking into the multifaceted and complex interactions of motivational factors that influence female collegiate sports participation in the United States, yet future research is needed to better understand the adherence to physical activity into adulthood.