Balancing the Field: Internal Motivation, Well-Being, and Soccer Participation Among College Students in Northeast China

Xin Xiang (), Jiewu Zou, Jia Shi and Qi Wang ()
Additional contact information
Xin Xiang: Beijing Normal University
Jiewu Zou: Beijing Normal University
Jia Shi: Beijing Normal University
Qi Wang: Beijing Normal University

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024, vol. 15, issue 4, No 98, 18174-18201

Abstract: Abstract This research investigates the interplay between internal motivation, subjective well-being, and soccer participation among college students in Northeast China. Anchored in self-determination theory and benefit theory, this study employs a survey-based method, incorporating path and regression analysis to scrutinize the proposed model. We discovered that internal motivation significantly enhances subjective well-being, with social benefits as a full mediator and physical and mental health as partial mediators in this relationship. On the other hand, external motivation negatively impacts the association between internal motivation and well-being, both in physical and mental aspects, as well as social benefits. However, it does not moderate the relationship between internal motivation and subjective well-being, contradicting our initial expectations. These findings offer valuable insights into subjective well-being dynamics among non-soccer-participating college students, highlighting the pivotal role of psychological and motivational factors. Our research contributes to the discourse on promoting well-being in educational settings, which is pertinent to the knowledge economy. The results underscore the importance of internal over external motivation in enhancing students’ well-being and offer guidance for educational institutions to foster environments conducive to students’ internal motivation. This study not only bridges significant gaps in the existing literature but also provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics of student motivation and well-being, aligning with the broader objectives of the knowledge economy.

Keywords: Subjective well-being; College students; Soccer participation motivation; Self-determination theory; Benefit theory; Northeast China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13132-024-01849-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:15:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s13132-024-01849-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/13132

DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-01849-5

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of the Knowledge Economy is currently edited by Elias G. Carayannis

More articles in Journal of the Knowledge Economy from Springer, Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().