A COMPARISON OF SPORT ATTITUDE BETWEEN FEMALE TABLE TENNIS STUDENT ATHLETES TOWARD COMPETITIVE MOTIVE IN INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM SPORTS

The findings of several studies that compare the attitudes of female athletes toward competitive motive in individual and team sports indicated that their competitive motives are quite different. Bowman et al (2001); McDonough and Crocker (2005); Sit and Linder (2006) found that female student athletes in team sports were more motivated in competition than those in individual sports. The purpose of this study was to compare the attitude of female university table tennis student athletes toward their competitive motives in individual and team sports. These athletes participated in the Seventh University Olympiad Games which was held in summer 2005. A total of 360 female students both from individual and team sports served as two samples in this study. Each sample consisted of 180 players. The Sport Attitude Inventory Questionnaire's (SAI) constructed by Willis (1986) was used as an instrument for this study. This instrument consisted of 3 dimensions: power motive (PM), motive to achieve success (MAS), motive to avoid failure (MAF), all of which together measure the student athletes' motives toward individual and team sports. The validity and reliability of this instrument were reported to be satisfactory. The results of MANOVA showed that there were significant differences between student athletes' attitudes toward individual( Table Tennis, Badminton, Track and Field) and team sports( volleyball, Basketball, futsal) in all three dimensions of competitive motive (PM, MAS, MAF). Then, in order to find out which group is different in dependent variables, oneway analysis variance was conducted. The results of the calculated F for all dependent variables were significant. When the mean scores difference of the sport attitude in individual and team sport athletes were compared, the post hoc test(LSD) showed that: 1) the mean scores differences of the attitude toward power motive between badminton athletes and futsal athletes was significant., 2) A same comparison between the attitudes of badminton,track and field and futsal athletes in motive to achieve success showed no significant differences., 3) the mean difference between track and field with basketball athletes in motive to achieve success were reported significant., 4) the mean differences between basketball and futsal athletes in motive to achieve success were also significant., 5) the mean difference between table tennis and track and field athletes In motive to avoid failure was significant.,6) the mean difference between the attitude of track and field, volleyball and basketball athletes in motive to avoid failure were significant. However, when the mean scores of table tennis athletes were compared with athletes in other sports, no differences were reported to be significant. Since all student athletes in individual and team sports need to improve their competitive motives to advance their performances, it is, therefore, recommended that the coaches and team psychologists provide rich environment for athletes in different sports to help them identify and improve these competitive motives. This probably may help the athletes to maximize their potential and transcend the negative effects while maximizing the positive benefits of the intended traits such as power motive, motive to achieve success, and motive to avoid failure. Considering these traits may help them to improve their high anxiety, low stimulation and high competitive drive.