The motivation influence on level of physical activity among UKM Students Bachelor’s Degree in Sports and Recreation Education

Abstract

An excellent student must be balanced in various aspects such as physical aspects. This study involved 165 students from years one to four of the Bachelor’s Degree in Sports and Recreation Education, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia who were randomly selected. The method of determining the sample of this study is to use the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample determination table. This study used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 with descriptive analysis (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential analysis (t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation). A total of 23% of students are in the fat, obese, and dangerous zone. There is no significant difference between genders in physical activity based on the year of study (p>.05). The lowest mean participation motive in years 1 to 4 was Interpersonal Motive. The highest mean for 1st to 4th year was Health, Psychic, Psychological, and Fitness Motives. There is a significant difference in participation motives involving interpersonal and fitness based on gender (p<.05). There is no significant difference in the motive of participation based on the year of study. There is a positive relationship between participation motive and physical activity (r=.823, p=0.001). Finding fun activities, making it a habit, starting small, leveraging technology, and involving others are some suggested strategies to help the students increase their physical activity.