Motives for Practicing Athletic Activities among Arab Students at Al- Ahliyya Amman University

This study aimed at identifying the motivations of Arab students for partaking in sports activities at Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU), and more specifically, exploring the changes in these motivations related to such variables as sex, field of study, regularity of exercise, and the availability of sports programs. The study was made on a randomly selected sample of Arab students at AAU. The sample consisted of 163 students, 128 males and 35 females, The study used a questionnaire, verified for reliability, validity and suitability for this kind of study. The analysis used the mean, standard deviation, frequencies, percentages and the T-test, The results of the study showed that football is the sport most practiced by male students, that ll students tended to practice swimming, squash, bowling, and weight lifting. Female students, on the other hand, practiced swimming, squash, volleyball, bowling, and badminton. There were no significant differences in the levels of motivation resulting from sex differences or field of study, both sexes of different specializations showing positive attitudes. The study showed a need for planned sports activities, and that the factors that might reduce the levels of motivation were lack of time and enough sites for students to practice sports after classes and during holidays. The researcher recommends that the Deanship of Student Affairs and Department of Athletics initiate sports activities as needed by Arab students, taking into account the times allocated for these sports. It also recommends planning sports programs and developing.