Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student in Sports Management, Guilan University
2 , Department of Physical Education, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran.
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of membership in sports social networks on motivation and participation in public sports, mediated by physical social anxiety in female students of Guilan University. The research method was descriptive-correlational and practical in purpose, with a statistical population of female students of Guilan University. Sampling was done in a targeted and accessible manner. Data collection tools included standard questionnaires on motivation to participate in public sports by Hong Yong Lin (2010), Mottel and Conroy's physical social anxiety (2000), and researcher-made questionnaires on sports participation and membership in sports social networks. The reliability of the tools was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha (α=0.71), and data were analyzed using Smart PLS 3 software and structural equation modeling. The findings showed that membership in sports social networks has a positive and significant effect on motivation (β=0.42) and participation in public sports (β=0.40) and a negative effect on physical social anxiety (β=-0.22). Physical social anxiety also had a negative and significant effect on motivation (β=-0.16) and participation in public sports (β=-0.23). The analysis of the mediating variable revealed that physical social anxiety has a negative mediating role in the effect of membership on participation motivation (β=-0.42) and a positive role in the effect of membership on participation rate (β=0.55). The results indicate that social networks can increase participation in public sports and reduce physical social anxiety. It is suggested that these platforms achieve these goals by displaying real body images, providing support, and offering psychological training.
Keywords
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