Gender Differences in Sports Performance and its related variables among young athletes

Abstract

The present study was done with an intent to study the gender differences in sports performance and its correlates among young adult athletes. The current study included a sample of 60 young adult athletes, with half being males and other half being females. They were from different areas in the India, training in Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula, Haryana. The sample was administered Sports Performance Perception Scale, Sports Motivation Scale 28, Athletic Self Efficacy Scale, Sports Anxiety Scale and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory 28 The results of the study revealed that Preparedness and Strategy came out to be an important variable defining sports performance in both genders. It was found that females depended more on intrinsic motivation as compared to males in determining sports performance. In females’ intrinsic motivation increased with increasing anxiety and worrying about winning. Females reacted more positively towards increasing anxiety while males did not. Females were more focused and knew where to work on to improve their outcome while males on the other had a lot of ways by which they improved their performance and weren’t restricting themselves to just a few methods. The present study found that there was a significant difference between both genders in Self- Efficacy-Psychological Efficacy and Intrinsic Motivation to Know with females being higher on both. It was seen that Confidence and Achievement Motivation came out to be a major predictor for males in determining Sports performance. Self-efficacy and Intrinsic Motivation to Know came out to be significant predictors in females. These results were backed by Bandura’s self-efficacy hypothesis. Lastly, both genders used all kinds of coping skills to improve performance. The study aimed to fill the gap in the research and can also be significant to athletes who want to improve their performance through therapeutic techniques.