Segmenting recreational tennis players according to their involvement level: a psychographic profile based on constraints and motivation

Abstract

The present study uses involvement as a segmentation variable for recreational tennis players, and further profiles the involvement groups with demographic (gender, age, family status, type of job, perceived economic status and education) and psychographic (perceived constraints and motivation) variables. Two hundred recreational tennis players (N = 200), who were members of a private tennis club participated in the study, and filled the Leisure Involvement Scale, the Leisure Constraints Scale and the Sport Motivation Scale. The results of the cluster analysis revealed a high and a low involved group, who significantly differed in all the involvement facets. The demographic variables were not found to be useful in further profiling the two involvement groups, since no statistically significant differences were found between the two involvement groups in the demographic variables. In contrast, the two involvement groups were found to have statistically significant differences in three of the constraints scales (individual/psychological, lack of time and facilities) and all the motivation dimensions. Low involved individuals were shown to perceive higher levels of intrapersonal constraints, lower levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and higher levels of amotivation.

Keywords:

• leisure involvement
• constraints
• motivation
• recreational tennis