The Main Motivations for Practicing Sports Activities and Their Impact on the Academic Specialization of Some Students at Al-Jfara University Faculties

Abstract

This study aims to identify the most important motivations for practicing sports and the impact of academic specialization on the motivations for practicing sports among some students at the University of Jafara. This allows for identifying their levels of motivation, enabling decision-makers to understand these motivations and rank their importance for the students under study. This will then enable them to develop appropriate activities, programs, and tests that increase motivation to practice physical and sports activities and enable students to learn and perform sports with high efficiency. The results are expected to reveal some differences among students, which can be exploited to motivate them to improve their performance. The researcher used a descriptive survey approach due to its suitability for the nature and procedures of the study. The study population consisted of male and female students at the University of Jafara for the academic year (2024-2025 AD), totaling approximately (3,100) male and female students. The study sample consisted of (117) male and female students. To achieve the study objectives, the researcher considered the Attitudes Towards Physical Activity (ATPA) Scale, originally developed by Gerald Kenyon and prepared in Arabic by Mohammed Hassan Alawi, as a scientific tool for the study. The most important results showed that there were differences in the scores of some students of the University of Jafara colleges, the study sample, in the motives for practicing physical and sports activities in the dimensions of physical activity for health and fitness, physical activity as an aesthetic experience, physical activity to reduce stress, physical activity as a social experience, physical activity as an experience of stress and risk, and physical activity for athletic excellence. This means that the study sample in general had positive motives towards practicing physical and sports activities. The researcher recommended providing the appropriate sports capabilities, tools and means for practicing physical and sports activities in all colleges affiliated with the university