Students levels of commitment towards sports and physical activity participation at kitebi secondary school in lubaga division Kampala district, Uganda

Abstract

Lack of sports participation and physical activity may lead to harmful effects and evading the advantages that adolescents can gain as sports participants. Researchers have shown that participation in sports can offer many benefits to its sports participants. Such benefits may be physical, physiological, psychological and social. (Rochelle M Eine., Janet A Young., and Warren R Payne., 2013). The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between sport commitment and sports participation of Kitebi Secondary School and to find out how committed the students are toward sport and physical activity participation. The study methodology included a cross-section al descriptive study involving collecting data using a questionnaire. The sample size was 100 students from Kitebi Secondary School. Observation, interviews, and questionnaire survey was adapted so that data is captured accurately, systematically, and comprehensively. Analysis of data was by a computer using SPSS and Microsoft excel software. The findings indicated that considering the amount of investment that the students have invested in terms of time, effort and money may have increased their Sports and physical activity participation. Students who have evaluated the costs that they have spent such as their time, energy, and expendable resources in performing the physical activities, will tend to continue and increase their participation in the activities that they have invested. It was concluded that sport commitment, sport enjoyment, personal investments, involvement opportunities, involvement alternatives have decisive roles to play in the sports activity behavior of university students, and these factors may foster the students’ participation in the sports activity and recommended that in the process of developing sports commitment, coaches must pay close attention to an athlete’s problems, training loads, the meaning of sports, motivations for participating in sports events, dedication to a specific sports branch, perception of success, communication with coaches, and team spirit.