Author(s): SHIOTA, Y., SOMEYA, Y., TAKAZAWA, Y., Institution: JUNTENDO UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 998

INTRODUCTION:
Para-sports instructors are essential for promoting and developing para-sports. However, a shortage of instructors and low retention rates pose significant challenges. Although mechanisms to encourage sustained activity are necessary, the contribution of participation motivation and satisfaction among para sports instructors in actual activity settings is unclear. This study aims to focus on instructors, investigate their participation motivation and activity satisfaction, and clarify factors related to continued activity.
METHODS:
An online survey targeting 114 currently active para-sports instructors (68 males, mean age 50.6±14.7 years) was conducted from July to August 2025. Survey items included: 1) Basic attributes, 2) participation motivation, 3) activity satisfaction, 4) support needed to sustain activity, and 5) motivation to continue. Motivation was analyzed using factor analysis to extract principal components, and required support was analyzed using text mining with KH Coder to extract key themes. The associations between motivation, activity satisfaction, required support, and willingness to continue were analyzed using chi-square tests or Spearman's rank correlation coefficients.
RESULTS:
Participation motivation was identified eight factors: personal growth, understanding disabilities, personal interest, advocacy, support, contribution, sport-related interest, and external request. The required support was identified as “leaders,” “facilities and equipment,” “funding,” “promotion and publicity,” “athletes,” and “understanding and support.” Coaches with higher motivation to continue were significantly more likely to endorse intrinsic and socially oriented motivations, particularly “advocacy,” “personal growth,” and “contribution,” compared with those with lower motivation (p < 0.05). In contrast, motivation based on external request was more commonly observed among coaches with lower continuation intention, suggesting that externally driven participation may be less sustainable. A significant positive correlation was found between motivation to continue and both perceived social significance of the coaching role and interaction with athletes (r = 0.509, p < 0.01). In addition, coaches with higher motivation to continue more frequently expressed a need for organizational and interpersonal understanding and support (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Psychological factors, such as “personal growth” and a “sense of fulfillment,” rather than material factors, such as financial or equipment-related support, were more closely associated with sustained engagement among para-sports instructors. Instructors with higher motivation to continue perceived greater social significance in their roles and sought increased understanding from their workplace and the surrounding community.