| dc.description.abstract | The under-representation of women in sports is a significant issue, with lower levels of
participation evident in various studies. Despite this, there is limited research
specifically addressing the psycho-social factors influencing female participation in
sports among teacher trainees in Kenya. The main objective was to investigate the
psycho-social determinants of female participation in sports among trainees in teacher
training colleges in Kenya. The specific objectives were to: determine the types of sports
participated in, investigate intrinsic factors that motivates female trainees to participate
in the various sports, assess the social support available for female trainees to participate
in sports, and assess the challenges female trainees face when participating in sports in
teacher training colleges in Kenya. The study was based on the Socio-ecological Theory.
The study targeted one (1) private and nineteen (19) public Teacher Training Colleges in
Kenya. These colleges were organized into regions: the Rift Valley, Nyanza, Coast,
Eastern, Western, Central and Nairobi. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to
conduct the research. The study target population was 672 female participants, whereas
the sample size was 279, calculated using the sample determination table by Adam
(2020). Structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents with the
assistance of trained research assistants. In data analysis, SPSS version 25 was used to
compute descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression. Analysis of collected
data indicate that respondents engaged in various sports: Volleyball 81(28.0%), Netball
63(21.8%), Handball 43(14.9%), Soccer 40(13.8%), Hockey 32(11.1%) and Goalball
6(2.1%). Respondents completely agreed that they were intrinsically motivated to
participate in sport (mean=5.1; standard deviation=1.15). Equally, (49.5%) of the
respondents agreed that there was meaningful support from their families and peers
(mean=3.9; S.D. =1.22). Key findings reveal that a number (57.8%) of female trainees
faced significant challenges with inadequate training facilities, while 50.9% struggled
with limited opportunities to compete in tournaments. Additionally, 69.9% encountered
financial constraints. The study established that intrinsic motivation (S.D. =1.64) and
social support from family and peers (S.D. =1.15) were statistically associated with
female participation in sports (P=0.001). Multivariate linear regression revealed that
intrinsic motivation was a strong predictor of female participation in sports, explaining
63.9% of the variance (R² = 0.639, p < 0.001). The most influential factors were
enjoyment in discovering new strategies and alignment with principles, followed by
integration into life and personal development. The study concluded that despite a high
level of interest and motivation to participate, structural and systemic barriers impede
female trainees’ full engagement in sports, such as gender stereotypes and societal
attitudes (mean=3.3; S.D. =1.15) on female participation in sports. It is further
concluded that strong social support systems, especially from family and peers (56.0%),
are essential for sustaining female participation in sports, both recreationally and
professionally. It is recommended that colleges should educate trainees on the benefits
of diverse sports, including Table Tennis, to broaden their interest. This study
recommended that institutions should implement programs that address motivational
factors, such as workshops or seminars, which indicate the personal benefits of sports
participation. | en_US |
