Relationship of Basketball Participation Motivation, Enjoyment, Persistence among University Students In Jilin Province, China

PURPOSE This study aimed to verify the fit of the structural model to the participation motivation, enjoyment, and persistence of college students in Jilin Province, explore the direct and indirect relationships among the variables included in the model, and further analyze the mediating role of enjoyment. METHOD This study focused on basketball players from universities in Jilin Province. The sample comprised 800 individuals selected using random sampling. One university each was randomly selected from four cities in different regions of Jilin Province, and 200 participants were recruited from each university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to ensure stable test results. RESULT First, participation motivation had a significant positive effect on enjoyment. Second, participation motivation to had a positive effect on persistence. Third, Enjoyment had a mediating effect. CONCLUSION From a survey of college basketball participation in Jilin Province, China, we constructed a relationship model between participation motivation, enjoyment, and persistence. These research results make significant contributions to our understanding of Chinese college basketball and sports to improve the sports education offered by universities. These insights can be applied to facilitate college students’ enjoyment of sports and improve their ability to persist in sports.