Examining the Relationship between Intramural Sports Participation and Sense of Community among College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were statistically significant relationships between intramural sports participation and sense of community among college students. A convenience sample was used, comprised of intramural sports participants from a university in the southeastern United States. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of demographic questions and the Sense of Community Index-2 (SCI-2) (Chavis, Lee & Acosta, 2008) to rate their level of sense of community experienced through participation in intramural sports. The SCI-2 consists of four subscales, pertaining to the contributing elements of sense of community: membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Questionnaires were distributed once and administered online, and all responses were confidential. Multiple regressions, analysis of variance and t-tests were used test for significant relationships between sense of community and respondents' (a) length of intramural sports participation and (b) frequency of intramural sports participation. Results indicated that increased length of participation was strongly associated with a greater sense of community among participants. Study findings could be used to develop effective marketing plans to attract student participants, while also providing the framework that programmers need to support their intramural program's existence to campus administrators.