Level of Intrinsic Motivation and Mental Toughness among Malaysian Community College Athletes at the 2024 Higher Education Institution Sports Championship 2024

Abstract

This study aims to assess the level of intrinsic motivation and mental toughness of Community College athletes participating in the 2024 Higher Education Institution Games (SUKIPT) 2024 and analyze the relationship between the two variables. This study uses a quantitative approach with a questionnaire as the main instrument involving 100 Community College student athletes who competed in various sports events. Intrinsic motivation was measured using the Sport Motivation Scale-II (SMS-II), while mental strength was assessed using the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-18). Descriptive analysis show that the level of intrinsic motivation of athletes is at a high level, with the experience simulation dimension recording the highest score. Meanwhile, level of mental toughness is at a moderate to high level, with the element of confidence being the dominant factor, while emotional control shows the need for improvement. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and mental strength (r = 0.307, p = 0.0019), indicating that athletes with higher internal motivation tend to have stronger mental resilience. The findings of this study provide important implications for coaches and sports management in designing more effective psychological training programs to increase the resilience of Community College athletes in competitive sports competitions.

Keywords: Intrinsic motivation, mental toughness, Community College athletes, SUKIPT