MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN SWIMMING
Brodkin, P., & Weiss, M. R. (1990). Developmental differences in motivation for participating in competitive swimming. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 12, 248-263.
Motivations for participating in competitive swimming were evaluated for a wide range of age-groups. Factors and the ranking of responses by age-groups are listed below.
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Item Rankings by Age-group
Item Groups
1 2 3 4 5 6
I like the coaches 1 4 - - - -
I want to improve my health 2 8 4 6 2 3
I want to stay in shape 3 2 2 2 1 1
I want to get in shape or stronger 3 1 3 3 4 6
I like the teamwork 5 - - - - -
I like to swim in the pool 5 8 9 6 - 1
I like the team spirit 7 - - - - -
I like to go to meets 7 - - - - -
I like being on a team 7 - - - - -
I want to compete at a higher level 7 - - - - -
I want to improve my skills 3 9 9 - - -
I like to have fun - 5 6 8 7 8
I like to be physically active - 6 1 1 3 3
I like to exercise - 6 1 1 3 3
I like to do something I'm good at - 8 9 - 9 10
I like the challenge - - 7 10 9 -
I like the way my body feels when I swim - - 7 5 6 9
I want to get rid of frustrations - - 9 - 8 -
I want to be with my friends - - - - 9 7
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A revised version of the Participation Motivation Questionnaire was administered to 62 females and 38 males in six age groups (6-9, 10-14, 15-22, 23-39, 40-59, 60-74) at YMCAs in Oregon.
The study was flawed because of the small group numbers, convenient sampling, and restrictive nature of the evaluation tool. This investigation yields no more than one piece of information that is sample dependent.
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