Abstract
https://doi.org/10.58984/smb2601029g
The aim of this study was to examine the structure of motivation for engaging in physical activities among athletes and recreational exercisers, to analyze gender differences and the association between motivation and age, and to assess the reliability of the MPAM-R questionnaire in a domestic sample. The study included 175 participants from Serbia (78 athletes and 97 recreational exercisers; 70 men and 105 women), aged 16 to 67 years. The questionnaire includes five subscales: interest/enjoyment, competence, physical appearance, physical fitness, and social motives. The analyses included descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, and an assessment of instrument reliability (Cronbach’s α). The most prominent motives among participants were competence (M=33.23) and interest/enjoyment (M=30.35), while social motives were the least represented (M=19.25). Athletes demonstrated significantly higher levels of interest/enjoyment (p=0.01), competence (p=0.02), and social motives (p=0.00) compared to recreational exercisers, whereas no significant differences were found in physical appearance (p=0.85) or physical fitness (p=0.85). No gender differences were observed across motivational dimensions (p values ranged from 0.06 to 0.27). Motivation was not significantly associated with age (p values ranged from 0.13 to 0.69). Cronbach’s α coefficients for all subscales were high (α=0.92˗0.97), confirming the reliability of the instrument. The findings highlight the predominance of intrinsic motivation in both athletes and recreational participants and provide practical implications for the design of sport and recreational programs aimed at promoting long-term engagement in physical activity.
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