©Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2013) 12, 10-18 http://www.jssm.org Received: 09 May 2012 / Accepted: 02 November 2012 / Published (online): 01 March 2013 Participation Motivation and Student’s Physical Activity among Sport Students in Three Countries Miran Kondrič  1 , Joško Sindik 2 , Gordana Furjan-Mandić 3 and Bernd Schiefler 4 1 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Slovenia; 2 Institute for Anthropology, Zagreb, Croatia; 3 University of Za- greb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Croatia; 4 Deutsche Sporthochschule, Cologne, Germany Abstract The main aim of this study was to examine the differences in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports stu- dents from three different countries. On a sample of 390 sports students from Slovenia, Croatia and Germany we studied what motivates an interest in being sports active. The sample was stratified across the choice to attend table tennis lessons at all three institutions and all students have completed the Participa- tion Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ). The results revealed that the latent structure of the types of sports students’ motives con- sisted of six factors (sport action with friend, popularity, fitness & health, social status, sports events, relaxation through sports). We also found significant sex differences in motivation to par- ticipate in sport activities for all sports students from the three different countries. We did not find relevant age-based differ- ences among the students, and this is the only initial hypothesis that we can reject. Key words: Sports activities, school, cross-cultural study. Introduction Cross-cultural comparison of the motivation for sport activities of sports students in three countries could pro- vide us the information about the differences in their motivation, as well as about their differences compared with non-sport population. Motivation is a complex phe- nomenon that is impossible to simply subsume under a single model (Bosnar and Balent, 2009). Petz (2005) defines it as a condition where we are driven from the “inside” by some needs, impulses, desires, wishes, or motives, and directed towards achieving a goal that from the outside functions as a stimulus for behaviour. In a context of a motive to engage in physical activities and sports, the authors most often focused on a difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic moti- vation refers to everything that drives us from the inside, i.e. the activities representing a goal as such, while extrin- sic motivation refers to what drives us from the outside, i.e. when the activities represent the means for achieving some other goal. Differences in motivation for engaging in a physical activity between genders, age, frequency and duration of a physical activity have been found in previ- ous researches (Egli et al., 2011; Moreno et al., 2008; 2010; Verloigne et al., 2011). With the student popula- tion, Egli et al. (2011) obtained data that male students are more motivated by intrinsic factors, or in other words by a need for power, competition and challenge, while female students are in majority driven by extrinsic motives, such as body weight control and appearance. Specifically, the experience of sport appears to be attractive to students for the following types of reasons: fun, enjoyment, improving skills, learning, being with friends, success, winning and health (e.g. Bandura 1997; Gaston-Gayles, 2005; Mouratadis et al., 2008; Murcia et al., 2010; Waldron and Dieser, 2010). In an attempt to solve one of the problems of assessing achievement moti- vation, sport psychologists developed specific assessment instruments adapted to sport activity and different sport situations (Gill, 2000; Jones, 2006; Mallett et al., 2007; Lonsdale et al., 2008; Spray et al., 2006). Motivation greatly influences an individual’s performance in situa- tions where one is physically capable of performing the task but is uncertain about his/her capabilities, which in many cases is a problem that drives people not to begin with a chosen sports activity. In general terms, motivation refers to the intensity and direction of behaviour. Ulti- mately, it always essentially means whether or not some- one expects they will be successful when they attempt a particular skill. The reasons one gives for participating and drop- ping out of sport have received extensive attention over the past few years in terms of recreation and as a competi- tive sport. Understanding why individual participate in sport is not a simple matter. One of most important issues is that people have many reasons for getting involved, and some of their reasons change from different point of view. Drawing on excellent reviews of the literature (Barnett et al., 2008; Biddle et al., 2003; Fraser-Thomas et al., 2008; Gould et al., 1996; Koivula, 1999; Smith et al., 2006; Tsorbatzoudis et al., 2006; Yan and McCullagh, 2004; Zaharidis et al., 2006), the reason sportspeople give for participating and dropping out are multiple and diverse. Weiss and Petlickhoff (1989), for example, categorized the major motives for participation into competence (e.g. to learn and improve skills), affiliation (e.g. to make friends be part of a team), fitness (e.g., to be physically active, get in shape), and fun. Some past research indi- cates that people have different achievement goals with regard to sports participation (Cervello et al., 2007; Whitehead et al., 2004) and it is reasonable to suggest that their attainment is a constituent of enjoyment. Among the several reasons given for decreased interest and a subse- quent withdrawal from sport was a lack of fun, issues with the coach, the time commitment required, lack of playing time, an overemphasis on winning, and greater interest in other activities (Weiss and Ferrer-Caja, 2002). Sedentary living is a leading cause of a poor qual- Research article