European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science ISSN: 2501 - 1235 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1235 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu 10.5281/zenodo.159804 Volume 2│Issue 3│2016 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS Arif Mohammad1i, Mohammad Ahsan2 Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physical Education, 1 Department of Teacher Training and Non Formal Education (IASE), Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Biomechanics), Department of Physical Therapy, 2 College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Abstract: The purpose of the present research was to compare the level of exercise motivation of male and female soccer players. Secondary purpose of this work was to answer of the question “which gender needs what extend of exercise motivation to perform better in sports?” The method carried out in this study was quantitative in nature and based on the questionnaire study. Population of this research consisted on all male and female soccer players in Rakiraki Public High School, Kings Road, Fiji. Among the total population the sample consisted on 50 boys and 50 girls (all subjects were below 17 years of age). The Exercise Motivation Inventory developed by Markland and Hardy, (1993) was used to gauge the level of exercise motivation of both genders. Results of statistical analysis (t-test) showed that there was no significant difference between male and female players on their level of exercise motivation, but the mean value of female players was found considerably higher than the male players. This finding leads to conclude that both male and female under 17 years soccer players having same level of exercise motivation. Keywords: exercise motivation, male soccer players, female soccer players Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved Published by Open Access Publishing Group ©2015. 74 Arif Mohammad, Mohammad Ahsan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS 1. Introduction Understanding and enhancing motivation has long been a major concern in sport. Without motivation athletes would not desire to excel in their sport, coaches would no longer strive to unify the team, and a player’s drive to set and reach goals would end (Ali, 2010; Ali, Hussain, & Rahaman, 2010). The biggest and most common reason that affects soccer performance is motivation or lack of it (Ahmadi, Namazizadeh, Abdoli, & Seyed, 2009). Generally, speaking motivation is guided by the hope of success and the fear of failure. When you lack the self-belief and confidence, there is a chance you also lack motivation (Atkinson, 1977; Munroe-Chandler, Krista, & Hall, 2005; Najah, & Rejeb, 2015). It is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviours (Shafizadeh, 2007; Ingledew, Markland, & Medley, 1998). It is what causes us to take action. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature (Hollembeak, & Amorose, 2005). Exercise motivation is an important concern due to the complex nature of the activity, the abundance of health benefits inherent in habitual exercise (Kavussanu, & McCauley, 1995). Sport psychologists are seeking for ways to keep athletes at a desirable level of motivation, to effectively control the aggravating and debilitating factors of this basic issue that can overshadow the technical and tactical performance of athletes, and to develop the efficiency of individual and group athletes in performing sport skills (Li, & Harmer, 1996). Athletes usually tend to forget the stresses of competitions or try to tolerate them (van Heerden, 2014). They work for long hours to perfect their skills and they subject their body and mind to maximum pressure (Khan, Khan, & Ahmad, 2010). Accordingly, Khan, Khan, and Ahmad, (2010) various motivations exist in individuals for participation in sports exercises such as sense of relatedness and growth. Moreover, he showed that flawed leadership styles can decrease intrinsic motivation. An investigation conducted by Ahmadi, et al. (2009) who compared the motivation of professional, semi-professional, and amateur football players found that amateur players presented a higher level of a motivation in comparison with professional players and their sportive competence was at a lower level; nonetheless, they reported lower levels of identified regulation. On the other hand, professional and semiprofessional athletes presented higher levels of interjected regulation and believed that their competence in football is due to learning and can be improved. Motivation in athletes depends on their motivational forces (Amorose, & Horn, 2000). Studying motivation is an attempt to understand the reasons behind behaviours. Identifying the needs and developing the talents of athletes and making conclusions European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 75 Arif Mohammad, Mohammad Ahsan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS from their own efforts and that of the athletes have made researchers in the area of sports psychology recognize the psychological issues and take notice of the issues related to motivation (Monazami, Hedayatikatooli, Neshati, Beiki, 2012). Thus, the point in this research is to identify the motivational factors in male and female soccer players. Materials and Methods Participants There were a total of 100 participants in this study. The population of the research consisted of male and female team players in Rakiraki Public High School, Kings Rd, Fiji. Among the total population 50 boys and 50 girls were selected as sample for the study. The age of the subjects was between 15 to 17 years. Measuring Instrument The Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI) developed by Markland and Hardy, (1993) was used to determine the motivational level of both the groups. The EMI was developed to measure motivation specifically in the sport context. The EMI was developed as a means of assessing participation motives in order to examine such issues as the influence of motives on exercise participation, how such motives might influence the choice of activities undertaken, how affective responses to exercising may be influenced by reasons for exercising and how involvement in physical activity might have a reciprocal influence on participation motives. In particular, the authors developed the instrument to examine questions concerning the functional significance of exercise motives from the perspective of Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory. Procedure of Data Collection A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed (50 per gender) with all being returned back after completing. Two weeks allowed for returning the questionnaire. No questionnaires were received after that time. The analysis of the questionnaires from all the participants was carried out. Each of the participant’s questionnaires was analysed by individually calculating the scoring for all the questions and then the total scoring of each participant. This was done for all males and all females. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 76 Arif Mohammad, Mohammad Ahsan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS Results Table 1: Mean, standard deviation and t value of exercise motivation between male and female players Means SD t value Male 191.08 30.97 Female 200.48 36.25 1.39 Tabulated t0.05= 1.98 Above cited Table 1 indicated that the t-test score is 1.39 this t value determines that there is no significant difference between male and female players in exercise motivation. Though there is no significant difference between male and female players in exercise motivation, but the mean value of exercise motivation is considerably higher of female players than male players. Figure 1: Mean comparison of exercise motivation between male and female Discussion The purpose of the present research was to compare the exercise motivation of male and female under 17 soccer players of Rakiraki Public High School. The findings of this work shows that feeling of joy and pleasure, sensing the advantages and valuable effects of sport, inner confidence, feeling the need for physical exercises, enjoying mental hygiene and reduction of mental stress, satisfaction of the desire for relatedness, weight loss and fitness were the most important exercise motivations for people to participate in soccer in school. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 77 Arif Mohammad, Mohammad Ahsan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS As the results of this research shows female players and the male players have a same level of exercise motivation which is not significant. Female soccer players scored higher on the mean than male soccer players. One explanation for the women’s higher scores on the scoring may be due to the stereotype and/or belief that muscular women do not look feminine. Klein (1993) suggests that gender role conflict can occur in female athletes when women desire to build athletic body (muscle mass), but also want to remain attractive to men. According to Butt’s (1978) theory a tendency of one of the psychological components of motivation would predict dominance in one of the social components of motivation of either competition or cooperation. Since there were no significant differences between males and females in the exercise motivation scales, one cannot predict dominance at any social components of motivation with the subjects in this study. Thus it is proposed that future investigations should continue to explore gender differences in basic need satisfaction in order to gain a better understanding of the motivational processes underpinning sport activities. Conclusions The present research was on attempt to broaden our understanding of soccer players’ exercise motivation. When comparing both male and female on exercise motivation, female soccer players and male players scored significantly the same on the scale. Hence no significant difference was found on the scale of exercise motivation. In conclusion, investigating the exercise motivation of male and female soccer players is a necessary step in understanding this complex and popular sport. Measuring a construct such as exercise motivation in sport is a difficult task due to the endless number of variables in a player’s personality. However, human nature dictates that similarities do exist among our personalities, which, if measured, can help us to predict our behaviour. References 1. Ahmadi, S., Namazizadeh, M., Abdoli, B., & Seyed, A.A. (2009). The comparison of achievement motivation between soccer players of high and low ranking teams in super league of Iran. Olympic Fall, 3(47), 19-28. 2. Ali, J. (2010). A study of achievement motivation in relation to performance of badminton players. Vyayam-Vidnyan, 43(3), 41-44. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2016 78 Arif Mohammad, Mohammad Ahsan A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXERCISE MOTIVATION BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDER 17 YEARS SOCCER PLAYERS 3. Ali, J. Hussain, I., & Rahaman, A. (2010). A comparative study of aggression and sports achievement motivation of hockey players of Manipur. AMASS Multilateral Research Journal, 2(2), 23-26. 4. Amorose, A. J., & Horn, T. S. (2000). 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