Changing Language and University Students' Exercise Motivations

Abstract

Typically, and without a pandemic, one-quarter of adults do not get appropriate physical activity. Amid government restrictions and public gathering closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this study's objective sought to understand motivations for physical activity among university students. Participants of 147 undergraduate (n = 102) and graduate (n = 45), including most females (n = 118), completed the Rickel Value Inventory (RVI), which consisted of seventeen Likert-scale inventory questions and a ranking of top motivators for participation in physical activity. The results indicated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants preferred objective or extrinsic motivators for engaging in physical activity, such as weight management and maintaining physical health, than subjective or intrinsic motivators associated with self-fulfillment. University sports managers and physical activity leaders should incorporate language reflective of objective/extrinsic in addition to subjective/intrinsic motivation and methods in advertising, teaching, and scheduling to increase and maintain exercise motivation and adherence.