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Sports culture can be defined as a positive value attitude of an individual to sport. These values act for the individual as social ideals, senses, symbols, norms, and samples of behavior that regulate the entire activity and social relations in a sports sphere. The Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES) initiated to determine the nation's sports culture since 2018. The latest research on the Malaysian Sports Index conducted in 2022, among 3735 respondents from various backgrounds according to age group, gender, ethnicity, and location using a self-designed questionnaire by IYRES with two domains and five indicators. The first domain is participation with activeness as the indicator. The second domain is sporting spirit with four indicators namely Voluntarism, Dedication, Expenditure and Contribution. Each and every indicator contributes towards Malaysian sports culture index based on the Index score scale created by experts from IYRES. The descriptive analysis showed Malaysian Sports Culture Index 2022 (MSCI’22) still in the moderate level with the score (52.0). The independent sample t-test showed there is significant difference by gender, with male (M= 59.06; SD=33.83) and female (M= 44.69; SD=32.90); p=0.000. Analysis by location also indicated that there is a significant difference in sports culture between urban and rural populations, with urban (M= 51.13; SD=34.19) and rural area (M= 54.78; SD=33.74); p=0.009. One-way ANOVA test to determine the sports culture based on ethnicity showed there were significant differences by ethnic group (p=0.000). The age group also showed a significant difference (p=.0.000) in sports culture among Malaysians. In conclusion, this research indicates that behavioral changes are needed among the Malaysian population to truly embed sports as a cultural element in their lives. Such changes cannot be expected to transpire immediately. To foster this transformation, raising awareness and providing accessible facilities for reg

This research aims to develop a sport culture index to identify the level of sport culture of Malaysian people as well as to quantify other related issues. The data were collected by face to face interviewed questionnaires. The research data were from stratified multi-stage sampling according to states in Malaysia. There were 7857 usable respondents who were at least 13 years old until 60 years old. The correlation index method was applied in the development of the holistic Malaysian Sport Culture index (SCI). The index employs percentage values ranging from 0 to 100; the larger the percentage, the higher the level of sport culture. The result reveals that level of sports participation is 73.3%. By considering the sporting spirit into the model, the Malaysian Sports Culture Index value is 52%. Dividing respondents into several groups according to sport culture index reveals that gender, marital status, age group, level ofeducation, and type of occupation are significantly different. The analyzed results from sport culture index can be utilized to enrich the national policies to create conditions that allow people to cultivate sports in their daily lives. In addition, the approach can be used and adapted for other countries in exploring the development of sports culture towards a sporting nation.

The purpose of the study is to identify the differences of fitness profile between students with hearing impairment and students with visual impairment at secondary schools. A number of 62 subjects from two types of disabilities with 30 students who have hearing impairment (male = 21; female = 9) and 32 students with visual impairment (male = 18; female = 14) voluntarily participated in the study. A fitness profile was determined to identify the fitness level between two types of disabilities. Seven fitness tests were conducted on both groups such as 1600-m run test, 10-m agility run test, standing broad jump test, vertical jump test, handgrip strength test, sit and reach test, and sit-up test. The findings showed that students who are visually impaired performed better in sit-up test (36.50 ± 11.02), 1600-m run test (11.53 ± 2.26), and sit and reach test (31.09 ± 5.04) and students with hearing impairment performed better in handgrip strength test (right hand 29.27 ± 10.57) (left hand 27.48 ± 9.55), standing broad jump test (176.03 ± 43.26), and vertical jump test (40.00 ± 12.81) but with both groups showed similar strength in agility test. There was a significant difference in the sit-up test between two groups (0.0000, p ˃ 0.05), whereas other tests did not show much difference.

[Truncated abstract] Effective delivery of sport psychology services requires that consideration be given to numerous personal, interpersonal, and situational factors, including the athlete's cultural background and social milieu. However, much of the research on mental skills training has been conducted within Western cultures, and service delivery models based on this research are predominant even in non-Western societies. The general purpose of this research project was to investigate issues pertinent to the delivery of sport psychology services within a particular society in Southeast Asia. More specifically, the project examined the perceptions of Malaysian athletes with regard to: (a) the relevance of selected psychological skills for performance enhancement; (b) preferred characteristics of the service provider; and (c) preferred modes of delivery for sport psychology services. Three studies were undertaken to investigate these issues. Study 1 provided descriptive information about the psychological skills considered most important for performance by elite Malaysian athletes participating in coactive and interactive sports. Comparisons were also made between two procedures for assessing the perceived importance of these skills (i.e., rating scales versus forced choice). Findings indicated that: (a) the forced-choice procedure allowed for better discrimination among the skills than the rating scale procedure; and (b) the perceived importance of various skills differed as a function of sport type and gender. Specifically, athletes in interactive sports placed more importance on setting team goals and clarifying roles/responsibilities than athletes in coactive sports. At the same time, participants in coactive sports viewed setting of personal goals, use of psych-up strategies, and use of imagery as more important for performance than those in interactive sports., Significant interaction effects indicated that, within coactive sports, positive self-talk was rated higher by female athletes, but communication skills were rated higher by male athletes. Study 2 examined the preferences of elite Malaysian athletes for the type of person providing sport psychology services and the way in which the services should be delivered. As in Study 1, comparisons were made between forced-choice and rating scale assessment protocols and between athletes from coactive and interactive sports. Once again, the forced-choice protocol allowed for better discrimination of consultant characteristics and delivery preferences than the rating scale protocol. In addition, strong preferences were expressed for a consultant to have prior experience as an athlete or coach, to regularly attend training sessions and competitions, and to place a high priority on the teaching of sport-specific mental skills. Preferences were also expressed for program content to be determined by the coach or consultant and for continual, small doses of mental skills training to be delivered face-to-face by the consultant on a group/team basis. These program delivery preferences were strongest within interactive sports where subcultural values may have reinforced the hierarchical and collectivist values within the broader Malaysian culture..., Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2013