Abstract:

This study was conducted with the aim of studying the motivations of badminton athletes aged 12-14 years of age to participate in sports according to different variables (age, gender, competition). The sample group in this study consists of 365 (Women: 200, Men: 165) badminton athletes from the provinces of Chorum, Malatya, Bursa and Konya where the 2018 Anadolu Stars League Quarter Final Championships were held. The study determined the participation motivations of athletes by Gill et al., (1983) and was made by Turkish adaptation Çelebi (1993) (Acts: Bayar, 2010) using the "Participation Motivation Survey". In this study, the reliability ratio of that scale is calculated as α = 0.84. The analysis of data in the study was carried out using the SPSS 25 statistical pack computer program and identifiable statistical values were taken into account in order to identify the sample group. When the motivations for participation in sports were studied, the subdimensions of “Success/Status, Physical Comfort, Friendship, Entertainment and Skills Development” found a statistically meaningful difference according to gender (p<0,05) and the subdimensions of “Team Membership, Competition and Movement” found no meaningful difference according to gender (p>0,05). When the motivations to participate in sports were studied in terms of age, there was no statistically meaningful difference (p>0,05). According to the gender variable of the factors that influence the motivation of badminton athletes to participate in sports, the subdimensions of "Success/Status, Physical Comfort, Friendship, Entertainment and Skills Development" are statistically meaningful (p<0,05) and in all subdimensions (p>0,05). The “friendship” is statistically meaningful (p<0,05) in terms of the areas where the competitions are made.