Participation motivation of Australian children involved in organized sport

The purpose of the present study was to examine the participation motives of Australian youth involved in a number of sports, determine any sport differences, and compare the results with North American findings. Four hundred and four male and female youths from 8 to 18 years of age and from five sports participated in the study. Subjects responded to a 27-item sport participation motive questionnaire. Responses indicated that the most important reasons for participation in sport were 'to improve skills,' 'be physically fit,' 'compete,' 'learn new skills; and 'to be challenged.' These reasons were similar to North American findings except for the absence of 'fun' in Australian data. Male and female responses were similar, thus supporting previous research. However, significant differences emerged as a function of age and sport. Younger participants endorsed extrinsic and social motives to a greater degree than older participants. Swimmers considered 'having fun,' 'being with friends,' 'action' and 'excitement' as all of significantly less importance than participants from other sports. Factor analyses suggested four dimensions of participation motivation. These were labelled 'team/achievement,' 'situational,' 'status' and 'fitness.' Factor structures varied in several important instances compared with North American data. This study generally supports previous North American findings, but does suggest cultural differences in participation motivation as well as sport and age differences.