An Examination of the Motivation—Involvement Relationship

Abstract

In this investigation, the relationship between motivation and enduring involvement was explored using a sample of campers drawn from three distinct campsites in a southeastern national forest, USA. The campsites varied along the ROS continuum from developed to wilderness. Using multidimensional conceptualizations of both constructs, a model was tested where the dimensions of motivation were modeled to positively influence the dimensions of enduring involvement. Although not all paths were statistically significant, the effect of motivation on enduring involvement was positive. No variation in the sign or strength of the path coefficients was observed across the three sites. These findings provide empirical support for the contention that motivation is an antecedent of enduring involvement.

Keywords:

• enduring involvement
• motivation
• ROS continuum

This research was supported by a grant provided by the USDA Forest Service and the College of Health, Education, and Human Development at Clemson University. Special thanks are extended to Drew Cavin for his assistance in earlier stages of this research.

Notes

¹Cell percentages based on column totals.

∗p < .05

∗∗ p < .01

∗∗∗ p < .001.

∗p < .05

∗∗ p < .01.

∗p < .05.

∗∗∗p < .001.