دوافع ممارسة طلاب الجامعة للأنشطة الرياضية وفقا لنظرية التقرير الذاتي

Background: The present study investigated exercise participation behavior and its motives among Sultan Qaboos university students. Self-Determination Theory was used to investigate the relationship between these motives and the actual exercise behavior. Methods: The study sample consisted of 263 students from the Faculty of Education at Sultan Qaboos University (129 male and 134 female). The participants completed two questionnaires, an Exercise Behavior Questionnaire which was developed specifically for this study, and an Arabic version of the Exercise Motivation Inventory version 2 (EMI-2), which was developed by Markland & Ingledew (1997). Results: Descriptive statistics showed that 20 % of male students and 77% of female students don’t participate at all in any sport and exercise activities; 45% of the male students and 21% of the female students participate moderately in sport and exercise activities ( 2-3 times a week), while 35% of the male students and 2% of the female students participate intensively in sport and exercise activities (almost on daily basis). Analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that intrinsic motives for exercise behavior (challenge, revitalization, health, affiliation and enjoyment) were more common among the male participants than their female counterparts. The results also showed that for the female participants, who were classified as physically active, extrinsic motivations (ill-health avoidance, positive health, revitalization, weight management, and appearance) were the major driving force for their exercise behavior. Conclusions: In general, the study showed that while intrinsic motivations play an important role in increasing exercise behavior, extrinsic motivations such as appearance and weight management are especially important predictors of female students’ participation in sport and exercise activities. Results of the current study provide support for the application of the Self-Determination theory within the Arab context.