You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to examine the influence of anxiety on sports performance among soccer players in the University of Benin. Four research questions were raised and four corresponding hypothesis were formulated to guide the study.
The study adopted the descriptive correlational survey research design. The population of the study was Five Hundred and Sixty (560) soccer players. A sample size of One Hundred and Four Thousand (140) soccer players. The instrument used for the study is a self-structured questionnaire which was validated by the researcher’s supervisors and two other experts, all from the Department of Human Kinetics and Sports Science, University of Benin. The reliability of the instrument was established using the split-half reliability method. The results showed a reliability coefficient of 0.87, which was considered high, acceptable and accurate. Data collection was carried out by the researcher with the help of a research assistant. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21. The descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation; and inferential statistics of Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis.
The findings of this study revealed that there is a strong correlation between anxiety and sports performance; moderate correlation between anxiety and sports performance based on age; weak correlation between anxiety and sports performance based on gender; and very weak correlation between anxiety and sports performance based on level. Hence, there is a significant relationship between anxiety and sports performance among University of Benin student soccer players. On the basis of this study, it was recommended that Coaches, athletic trainers, sport psychologist and other professionals working with football players should consider age, gender and levels as factors when dealing with anxiety and sport performance.
