The Mediating Role of Social Anxiety in the Effect of University Students’ Participation in Sports Activities on Academic Motivation
Keywords:
Sports Participation, Academic Motivation, Social AnxietyAbstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of university students’ participation in sports activities on their academic motivation and to investigate the mediating role of social anxiety in this relationship. Designed in a correlational survey model, the study was conducted with data obtained from 333 students (198 females, 135 males) studying at Aydın Adnan Menderes University. Data were collected using the Sports Participation Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale–Short Form, and the Academic Motivation Scale. The reliability coefficients of the scales were found to be within acceptable ranges. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS 23.0 and SPSS Process 4.0 software, employing Pearson correlation and bootstrap regression methods. The findings revealed a moderate, significant, and positive relationship between participation in sports activities and academic motivation. Furthermore, a low-level positive correlation was found between social anxiety and academic motivation, whereas no significant relationship was observed between social anxiety and participation in sports activities. Regression analyses indicated that participation in sports activities had a significant and positive effect on academic motivation. However, social anxiety was not found to have a mediating role in this relationship. The study demonstrates that sports activities are an important factor in enhancing students’ academic motivation, while social anxiety does not function as a mediating variable in this process.
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