Motivation for Sports Participation and its Relationship with Academic Performance among Malaysian Higher Education Students

This study aims to explore the relationship between motivation for sports participation and academic performance among higher education students in Malaysia.A total of 225 participants (118 male, 107 female) completed structured, bilingual questionnaires assessing multi-faceted motivations for sports participation-including friendship, physical fitness, activity, achievement status, team affiliation, competition, and skill development-using adapted instruments from the Sport Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ; Gill et al., 1983) and the Academic Performance Scale (APS; Birchmeier et al., 2015), grounded in student involvement theory.Data analysis revealed that the 'being active' motivation domain had the strongest positive correlation with academic performance (r = 0.818, p < 0.01), while 'fun' as a motivational driver showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.707,p < 0.01).Friendship and achievement motivations also supported positive academic outcomes.In contrast, team competition and other affiliation development factors did not show significant effects.The findings underscore that appropriate levels of sports involvement promoting physical activity and social interaction are vital for students' academic achievement.The study highlights the need for integrated sports programs that support both physical health and academic success, recommending that higher education institutions adopt such approaches for comprehensive student development.Future research should employ longitudinal designs to more effectively explore the links between sport motivation and academic performance.