Psychological determinants of sports participation among athletes of tertiary institutions in Ebonyi state

Abstract

Background: The performances of athletes in Ebonyi State tertiary institutions were observed to be low. Therefore, the present study explored the psychological determinants of sports participation among athletes of tertiary institutions in Ebonyi State. Methods: This was an institutional based cross-sectional study conducted among 481 students drawn from Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ikwo, and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. Two research questions and two hypotheses were used to guide the study. Mean scores and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. Results: The findings shows that fear of injury and anxiety was a determinant of sports participation in tertiary institutions in Ebonyi State. It was also found that there was significant difference in the mean response of male and female athletes on the sports participation. This finding implies that sports participation of athletes was determined by psychological determinant. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made, that, government and its agencies should provide adequate infrastructural facilities required for athletes in order to improve athlete’s participation and increase sport development in the country. Also, the school management in collaboration with the host communities should ensure conducive environment for athletes.