Predictors of university students' leisure participation within the context of the theory of planned behavior.

BACKGROUND: University students' participation in leisure activities during their transition to adulthood supports their psychological, social, and physical development, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) offers a framework to explain this. However, the literature shows that the contribution of leisure attitudes, motivation, and negotiation strategies to students' leisure participation and exercise participation has not been adequately addressed. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, within the framework of the theory of planned behavior, examined the effects of leisure motivation, attitudes, negotiation strategies, and participation levels on the leisure behaviors of undergraduates (n = 709) enrolled in sports science faculties using linear and hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: Leisure attitudes, motivation, and negotiation strategies significantly predicted participation levels (p < 0.001) and together explained 33% of the variance. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that participation, negotiation strategies, attitudes, and motivation significantly predicted engagement and that participation, negotiation strategies, attitudes, and motivation significantly predicted participation in leisure exercise (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Leisure attitudes, motivation, and negotiation strategies indicate that university students' participation in leisure activities influences their engagement in those activities, and this participation can help explain their level of leisure exercise. These results suggest that the theory of planned behavior can offer a useful framework for understanding leisure behaviors and that supporting motivation and negotiation strategies can contribute to increasing students' participation in leisure activities.