Student’s Participation in Outdoor Sport and Recreation University Programs

The present study a) recorded the more important reasons that constraint the participation of student’s in University sport and recreation programs, and b) investigated likely statistical differences in the above reasons, between students that participated and students that did not participate in outdoor winter recreational activities. In the research took part three hundred (N=300) students of University of Athens from four different Academic faculties. Constraint reasons were measured by Alexandris et al (1997) questionnaire after modification in Greek language by Kouthouris et al (2005). Questionnaire reliability was judged satisfactory (Cronbach»s a=.87). The results of the research supported that the more important constraint reasons were i) lack of time (M=5.0 SD=1.8), ii) low leisure priority (M=4.9, SD=1.9), iii) high cost of skiing participation (M=4.6, SD=1.8). Also high level statistical differences existed, in all the constraint reasons, between students that participated in outdoor winter sports and students that did not participate. Major differences were marked in the constraint «I don’t feel confidence to skiing» (t=6.9, p<.001), where students who did not participate in skiing, scored higher (M=4.4 SD=1.8), than students that participated (M=2.3, SD=1.2). The results were discussed aiming to develop student’s participation in winter recreational athletic programs.