Determination of The Reasons Why Students in Primary and Elementary Schools Participate in Physical Activity: A Sample of Nevşehir

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The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons why students at primary and elementary schools participate in physical activity in the city of Nevsehir and to compare participation reasons with respect to gender and the school level. The participants were 329 voluntary students (52% from primary, 48% from elementary school). Data were gathered by “Participation Motivation Questionnaire-PMQ”. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test were used for data analysis. The results showed that the most important reasons for physical activity participation were “team membership/spirit” (1.23±.41), “skill development” (1.23±.49), “friendship” (1.24±.40), “competition” (1.26±.47) and “fun” (1.28±.39) respectively. There were significant differences with respect to gender in “success/status”, “competition” and “fun” in favor of male students (p .05). Participation motivation was changed significantly in “fitness”, “success/status”, “competition” and “fun” in favor of primary school students (p .05). As a result, it is important to consider the participation reasons in order to organize sportive programs for spreading out sport and physical activity in young populations.

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Physical activity , participation motivation , student

Gaziantep University Journal Of Social Sciences

1085

Gaziantep University Journal Of Social Sciences