Are There Differences in Motives Between Participants in Individual Sports Compared to Team Sports?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore which motives dominate among adolescents when it comes to participation in individual versus team sports. We expected that intrinsic motives will dominate in both groups. We also had a hypothesis that those who compete in individual sport will have higher scores on intrinsic and lower on extrinsic motivation than those in team sport. We also expected that intrinsic motives would explain why they had chosen individual sports instead of team sport. The participants were 78 athletes, 39 in team sports and 39 in individual. Participants' motives were assessed with the Motives for Physical Activity Measure -Revised (MPAM-R). The extrinsic motive "fitness" had highest score in both groups, followed by the intrinsic motives "interest/enjoyment" and "competence". The only motive with a difference between team and individual sport was the intrinsic motive interest/enjoyment. The participants in team sport had a higher score on interest/enjoyment than those in individual sport. We conducted a regression analyze to explain why pupils chose individual instead of team sports. "Interest/enjoyment" had an explanation when we included this as a single independent variable. If they participated in team sport they had a higher score on the intrinsic motive "interest/enjoyment". When we included all the motives none of them had an explanation. In conclusion we could not find any differences in motives for participation in team versus individual sport. We also only partly found support for the assumption that adolescents mostly are intrinsic motivated for participating in sport.

The relationship between motivation, perceived Motivational Climate, Task and Ego Orientation, and Perceived Coach Autonomy in young ice hockey players

“…Satisfaction of psychological needs is positively correlated with identified and introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation [37,39,44]. In terms of competence satisfaction, introjected and identified regulations can positively predict strenuous exercise behavior, whereas external regulation is a more negative predictor of strenuous exercise behavior [45].…”

Gender differences in motives for participation in sports and exercise among Norwegian adolescents

“…The highest level of intrinsically motivated behavior includes activities people do only for enjoyment, pleasure, and fun and there are no rewards or discernible reinforcements involved [19,20]. Autonomous regulation is associated with action and maintenance of change for exercise [17,21], exercise-related selfesteem [22], greater physical fitness [23,24], more frequent self-reported exercise behavior [25], and more positive attitudes toward exercise [23,24]. Perceived autonomy support from friends is positively associated with identified regulation and intrinsic motivation [25].…”

“…Autonomous regulation is associated with action and maintenance of change for exercise [17,21], exercise-related selfesteem [22], greater physical fitness [23,24], more frequent self-reported exercise behavior [25], and more positive attitudes toward exercise [23,24]. Perceived autonomy support from friends is positively associated with identified regulation and intrinsic motivation [25]. It has also been reported that perceived autonomy support from exercise instructors positively predicts relatedness, autonomy, competence need satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation [17].…”

Does motivational regulation affect physical activity patterns among Norwegian Police University College students?

“…The items represent five subscales: Interest/Enjoyment, Competence, Appearance, Fitness and Social. The two subscales Interest/Enjoyment and Competence reflect intrinsic motivation and regulation, and the other three reflect varying levels of extrinsic motivation and regulation (Jakobsen, 2014;Ryan et al, 1997). The validity and reliability of the MPAM-R have been addressed in previous research, where it has been demonstrated that the 30 items were clearly structured into a three-factorial order (amotivation, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation), and that the internal consistency measures for each subscale achieved Cronbach's alpha scores above .80 Ryan, 1993, in Ryan et al, 1997).…”