ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1623063
This article is part of the Research TopicMotivations For Physical Activity - Volume IVView all 23 articles
Motivations of Wheelchair Curling Athletes to Participate in Sport: A Qualitative Research
Provisionally accepted
- 1Atatürk University, Erzurum, Türkiye
- 2Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Türkiye
- 3Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye
- 4University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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This study utilizes the framework of Self-Determination Theory to examine the motivation of wheelchair curling athletes. Eleven wheelchair curling athletes participated in the study, and data were collected through a personal information form and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that wheelchair curling athletes are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic motivation is driven by physical sources of motivation, emotional sources of motivation, and social sources of motivation, contributing to increased participation and commitment. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is influenced by factors such as social support, achieving success, and gaining status. However, structural barriers including lack of equipment, transportation issues, and limited training opportunities negatively impact motivation. Despite these challenges, athletes demonstrate resilience and maintain their motivation, emphasizing the importance of addressing both motivational dimensions to support their continued participation in sports.
Keywords: Wheelchair curling, Disabled athletes, paralympic sports, Motivation, self-determination theory
Received: 05 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 DAŞKESEN, Bedir, İlhan, Demir Onur and Mair. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sonay Serpil DAŞKESEN, sonayserpilalpdogan@gmail.com
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