The comparison of motives of physical culture activities and sports among Chinese and Russian students

Abstract

Motivation is one of the important indicators of students' involvement in physical education and sports, at the same time socio-cultural factors can influence the choice of motives among students from different countries. The purpose of the study was to identify differences regarding the significance of motives for physical culture activities and sports among college students in Russia and in China. The study involved 227 people, including 129 Chinese students from Lan Fan Secondary Vocational School (Lan Fan, China) and 98 Russian students from their Berezovsky Technical College "Profi" (Berezovsky, Sverdlovsk region). To study the motives of physical culture activities and sports, V. I. Tropnikov's methodology in Russian and Chinese languages was used (an adapted version of the questionnaire). The results of the study revealed both similarities and differences in the assessments of motives by students from different countries. The dominant motive of physical culture and sports among Chinese students is the motive of "improving well-being and health"; while for Russian students it is "physical improvement". The article substantiates the differences in the choice of motives of students from different countries, taking into account cultural differences. The research can contribute to the development of physical education and sports curricula that take into account the cultural characteristics and motives of students from different countries. Further study will be aimed at expanding the sample of students from different educational institutions and studying the dynamics of motivation to engage in physical culture and sports of students at different courses.