The Effect of Step-Aerobic Participation on Exercise Motivation, Coping with Stress, and Happiness Levels: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study aims to examine the effects of a step-aerobic exercise program on university students exercise motivation, stress coping skills, and levels of happiness through a quasi-experimental approach within the framework of quantitative research methods. The sample of the study consists of 35 university students aged between 20 and 24, who were divided into experimental and control groups. While participants in the experimental group engaged in step-aerobic exercises accompanied by music twice a week for eight weeks, no intervention was applied to the control group. Valid and reliable scales measuring health-based exercise motivation, stress coping, and happiness levels were used as data collection tools. Data were gathered through pre-test and post-test applications, and statistical analyses were conducted using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests based on the distribution of normality. The findings revealed that the eight-week step-aerobic program led to a statistically significant increase in the experimental group’s exercise motivation and stress coping levels. Although there was a significant improvement in happiness within the experimental group, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. These results indicate that step-aerobic exercises support not only physical but also psychological functioning. In particular, the combination of a group environment, musical structure, and rhythmic movements was found to enhance individuals’ intrinsic motivation and positively influence their stress coping strategies. Based on these findings, it is recommended that music-based group exercises such as step-aerobics be integrated into student support programs to promote the psychological well-being of university students.