Abstract

The present research was aimed to determine the relationships of internal (personal interest and motivation level) and external (parent support, mobile and internet, and academic pressure) determinants with sports participation (promotion of health and social interaction) of players. Samples of 450 numbers were randomly selected from the population. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect the desired data. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation analysis were employed to analyze the collected data. The findings of the research revealed that sub-domains of internal and external determinants were significantly associated with sports participation of student players. It was concluded that much usage of mobile and internet and academic pressure from the parents might be the factors that may decrease participation of students in sports and cause of less interest and low motivation towards sports. It was suggested that parents should take care of youngsters’ activities rather than sports to promote their health and social interaction.

Key Words

Internal and External Determinant, College Players, Sports Participation

Introduction

A sports climate may promote healthy ideals and help to reduce harmful health habits such as obesity, excessive alcohol intake, and violence (Trost, 2003). Several studies have identified the of interest in sports among teenagers during their college years (Hohepa, Scragg, Schofield, Kolt, & Schaaf, 2009; Fulton, Carroll, Galuska, Lee, Eaton, Brener, & Song, (2011). Many scholarly and study findings indicated a low degree of physical exercise and sports participation among players, including college/school students (Vigo-Valentín, Bush, & Hodge, 2014). Therefore, by examining the data on determinants and motives of a group of male and female college student teams, this study would investigate the causes for this low degree of involvement.

Participation in sports is an important social tradition which offers significant public value. It has significant safety advantages and leads to the elimination of diseases which are not communicable. High rates of physical exercise in the general population and college student players are correlated with a healthy and fitter body, the positive temperament, and active attention (Janssen & LeBlanc, 2010; Hardman, Adrianne, & Stensel, 2009). There are many studies which found decreasing trends of sports participation among adults (Vigo-Valentín et al., 2014).

Determinants in sports are those factors that reduce the frequency, intensity, duration, or quality of participation in sports for college student players. The common determinants with reference to participation in sports include personal interest, motivation level, family support, mobile and internet, academic pressure, in social relationships towards sports. Determinants typically hinder or forbid involvement and fun of recreational sports constraints can include limits on the play, limitations on room and resources for events, limitations on time and schedule of events and limitations on identification. Parents’ socio-economic position is deemed to be one of the most effective comprehensive control on the involvement of adults in sports.

These numerous determinants are divided into two categories (Internal and external determinants). Lack of interest and motivation level are those internal determinants that minimize the participation within the players (Allison 2005; Kowalski & Lankford, 2010). On the other hand, family support, mobile and internet, and academic pressure are those that enforced by the environment as external determinants. Fulton et al. (2011) described that lack of support from peers and parents was the most vital determinant to sports participation. As well as, fewer resources were also an important concern of sports participation and physical activity for many schools/colleges’ student players (Humbert, 2006; Kowalski & Lankford, 2011).

The existing research was intended to determine whether these internal (personal interest and motivation level) and external determinants (family support, mobile & internet, and academic pressure) contribute to sports participation of male and female student players or not at the college level.




Objectives of the Study

The following objectives were developed for the present research:

i. To determine the association between internal determinants (personal interest and motivation level) and sports participation of college student players.

ii. To find out the relationship between external determinants (family support, mobile & internet, and academic pressure) and sports participation of student players at the college level.




Research Hypothesis

The following hypotheses were generated for the existing research:

Ha1: There is a significant association between internal determinants (personal interest and motivation level) and sports participation of college student players.

Ha2: There is a significant relationship between external determinants (family support, mobile & internet, and academic pressure) and sports participation of student players at the college level.

Literature Review

While analyzing the connection between determinants and sports interest levels, various complex issues emerge. This is an outcome not just of the regularly reliant connection among requirements and sports participation level, yet in addition many intervening factors including age, sex, class, individual interest, motivation level, sports involvement, and wellbeing status. These variables influence understudy/students’ choices to turn out to be pretty much genuinely dynamic in sports.

Internal determinants are essentially worried about emotional recognitions or appraisals of the fittingness and significance of the person’s involvement in each relaxation action (Godbey, Crawford, & Sharon, 2010). Alexandris, Tsorbatzoudis, & Grouios (2002) used the various levels’ model of limitations to look at levels of sports interest among young people and understudy players. Their progressive model conceptualized various key inside requirement factors, for example, absence of individual interest and inspiration or motivation level.

Inside requirements include individual mental states and qualities that collaborate with relaxation inclinations, one of which can shape somebody’s pledge to one kind of recreation practice, for example, perusing, or taking an interest in tennis, football, cricket, and so forth. On the other hand, they may act to oblige somebody’s ability to take part in these exercises.

In concentrates on physical action and research on sports cooperation, the factor, absence of individual intrigue/interest, is frequently recognized as an internal determinant (Kubayi, Totiola, & Monyeki, 2013). Discoveries to different investigations that analyze physical activity and increasingly broad games cooperation, for instance, Palen, Patrick, Gleeson, Caldwell, Smith, Wegner, & Flisher (2010) investigated the determinants and arrangement systems among 114 undergrads/students matured 14-18 years of age in South Africa. The investigation utilized central gatherings. Internal determinants were referenced in every one of the 15 center gatherings, and the absence of individual interest factor was most of the time referenced among respondents.

External determinants are basically social association contemplations, and they incorporate factors, for example, employments of family support, mobile and internet, academic pressure, absence of parental help, and absence of consolation from others. In different examinations, an absence of companions to take an interest with just as helping issues with friends and guardians were referred to as obstructions to involvement in sports (Fulton et al., 2011). 

According to Palen et al. (2010) discovered that the absence of parental help was the most widely recognized external/relational determinant on respondents’ participation in sports. The absence of parental help has repercussions for the games’ participation of undergrad/student players. As per the above-expressed examination, family support is the most widely recognized determinant, which prevents undergrad/student players from taking an interest in sports and physical activities.

Participation of college student players in activities such as watching television or using social networks takes time that would otherwise be spent being physically active or hanging out with friends and peers. Participation of undergrad/student players in any other activity, for example, sitting in front of the TV or utilizing informal communities requires a significant investment that would somehow, or another be spent being genuinely dynamic or spending time with companions and friends.

Screen-based media (for example, TV, mobile, tablets, web/internet, and so forth utilizes) are getting progressively significant in the present youngsters’ lives, and understudy players are continually changing the devices and innovation used to access the web/internet and play games on mobiles. More prominent utilization of PCs, advanced mobile phones, and tablets for games and access to social sites add to a progressively stationary way of life which may have complications for wellbeing, prosperity, and sports participation in later life (Booker, Skew, & Sacker, 2015).

Previous studies found that academic stress significantly affects the participation of female and male student players in sports at all educational institutions (Ali, Khan, Jabeen, & Jug, 2018).

Figure 1

Theoretical Model



Research Methodology

Participants

All male and female student players of colleges at the intercollegiate level of South Punjab, Pakistan was declared the population of the study. Total of 450 student players has participated in the provision of information on the topic through simple random sampling technique. 

Instrumentation 

The self-administered survey questionnaire was developed to collect the desired information from the respondents. The instrument was proved with the process of validity and reliability. The questionnaire sent to five sports science experts for validity and their comments were included and revised further. Reliability was checked through Cronbach Alpha at the significance level (0.05). In this regard, data were collected from 30 subjects and further analyzed through the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) v-25 after editing the responses. The reliability of all constructs was found between 0.735 to 0.861 and found a satisfactory level.




Procedure

After finalizing the instrument, the permission was granted from the sample college principals and briefed them about the research objectives. The researcher assured the administration that the collected information would be kept confidentially and used only for research purpose. As per time schedule through lecturers’ physical education with student players, the researcher briefed the items of the questionnaire in detail and asked them if they had any confusion about any item, they could ask frequently. Afterwards, the questionnaires were distributed in 450 subjects at various college stations. Some questionnaires were sent to lecturers’ physical education with detailed discussion. It was taken one month for the whole procedure of data collection, and 426 questionnaires were responded back.




Data Analysis

After the collection of data, the data was edited in SPSS for the further evaluation process. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation analysis were employed to collect the findings and interpretation of data.

Results

Pearson’s correlation coefficient was employed to answer the research hypothesis 1 and 2 “there is a significant association between internal determinants (personal interest and motivation level) and sports participation of college student players” and “there is a significant relationship between external determinants (family support, mobile & internet, and academic pressure) and sports participation of student players at the college level”.

Demographic information from the respondents was assembled through survey questionnaires displayed in Table 1. Out of 426 cases, 288 were male student players, and 138 were female student players provided the information on the topic as well as personal. Mean age was found 17 years and std. The deviation was .381 of 426 respondents. Game-wise 426 subjects were gathered as athletics (91), volleyball (88), football (103), badminton (59), and basketball (85). In social class, 232 cases belonged to rural areas, and 194 were urban.

 

Table 1. Demographic Information about Respondents (n-426)

Variables	Frequency
Gender	Male	Female
	288	138
Age Statistics	Mean Age	17 years
	Std. Deviation	.381 years
Game Category
Athletics	91	426
Volleyball	88
Football	103
Badminton	59
Basketball	85
Social Class
Rural	232	426
Urban	194

The results revealed that personal interest as sub-variable of the internal determinant was poorly and significantly associated with the promotion of health and social interaction as sub-domains of sports participation respectively (r=.207, p=0.01 and r=.289, p=0.01) displayed in Table 2. The study findings indicated positive relationships between personal interest and participation in sports.

 

Table 2. Correlation between Sub-Domains of Internal Determinants and Sports Participants

Sub-Constructs	Significance	Personal Interest	Motivation Level
Promotion of Health	Pearson Correlation	.207**	.359**
	Sig. Level	.000	.000
	N	426	426
Social Interaction	Pearson Correlation	.289**	.308**
	Sig. Level	.000	.000
	N	426	426

 

The results revealed that family support as sub-domain of external determinant had poor and significant relationships with the promotion of health and social interaction as sub-domains of sports participation respectively (r=.182, p=0.01 and r=.319, p=0.01) displayed in Table 3. The findings revealed that there is a positive association between family support and participation in sports.

The findings indicated that the positive relationship was found between mobile and internet and sports participation. The findings of Table 3 revealed that mobile and internet as sub-domain of the external determinant was poorly and significantly correlated with the promotion of health and social interaction as sub-domains of sports participation respectively (r=.218, p=0.01 and r=.144, p=0.01).

 

Table 3. Correlation between Sub-Domains of External Determinants and Sports Participants

Sub-Constructs	Significance	Family Support	Mobile & Internet	Academic Pressure
Promotion of Health	Pearson Correlation	.182**	.218**	.185**
	Sig. Level	.000	.000	.000
	N	426	426	426
Social Interaction	Pearson Correlation	.319**	.144**	.370**
	Sig. Level	.000	.003	.000
	N	426	426	426

 

The results revealed that academic pressure as sub-domain of external determinant had poor and significant relationships with the promotion of health and social interaction as sub-domains of sports participation respectively (r=.185, p=0.01 and r=.370, p=0.01) displayed in Table 3. The findings revealed that there is a positive association between family support and participation in sports.

Discussion

The current research supported the correlation between the sub-domains of internal determinants and the participation of female and male college players. However, the level of internal determinants associated with the promotion of health and social interaction (sub-domains of participation in sports) was reported at their significant level (p=0.01) and positive. The research conducted by Alexandris et al. (2002) also concluded the significant association between internal determinants and sports participation of student players. 

According to the study findings, it appeared that (family support, mobile and internet, academic pressure) as sub-variables of external determinants has revealed significant and positive relationship at the level (p=0.01) with the (social interaction and promotion of health) as sub-variables of sports participation of college student players. Therefore, the relationships of family support, mobile and internet, academic pressure factor with the social interaction and promotion of health of college student players were established as a moderate level. The research conducted by Fulton et al. (2011) also concluded support from family, usage of mobile and internet, and academic pressure for good grades really affect the sports participation of players.

The findings of the research concluded that personal interest and motivation level of students were found low and the health of student players was not promoted as game desired. Social interaction of players was also found poor within their circumstances. The results revealed that family supports, usage of mobile and internet, and academic pressure were found poor as well. Reasons may be behind that parents forced students to concentrate on their studies, and academic pressure caused low participation in sports as well. Consequently, student players served more time on mobile and internet that caused them away from sports. 

Conclusion

The present research determined the relationships of internal and external determinants with sports participation of players of college-level of South Punjab, Pakistan. The findings indicated that parents must support their youngsters to participate in sports for the promotion of their health and develop social interactions. Mobile and internet usage also engaged student youth too much, and they forgot to engage in sports. Due to academic pressure, they have feared of low grades from their parents, that may be cause less participation in sports. If we want to enhance the level of participation of our student players in sports, we must develop motivational strategies and their personal interest in sports. In this regard, college administration, lecturers’ physical education, and sports environment by the parents and society may play a central role to enhance the participation levels through organizing sports activities and competitions to promote the health and social interaction in society.

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