Psychological Factors And Sports Participation Among Secondary School Students In Obudu Local Government Area Of Cross River State, Nigeria

The study investigated psychological factors and sports participation among secondary school students in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A detailed review of literature was carried out in accordance with the variables of the study. Survey research design was used for the study. To select the eight public secondary schools, simple random sampling technique was adopted while systematic sampling technique was adopted to select the two hundred and forty five (245) respondents used for the study. A structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was face validated by relevant persons. To test the hypotheses formulated for the study, Pearson product moment correlation statistical tool was adopted for data analysis. The result obtained from analysis of data and testing of hypotheses revealed that there was a significant relationship between self-concept, motivation and sports participation among secondary school students in the study area. Based on the conclusion and findings, it was recommended among others that school authorities should provide adequate extrinsic motivation in order to complement students’ intrinsic motivation and encourage them to participate more actively in sports.