A Study on Pattern Classification of Sport Events and the Related Elements : In a Case of University Students

Abstract

The present study was carried out to classify various sport events and to analyse the elements determining sports participation, especially from sociological aspects. The survey was conducted in class to 261 male and 316 female university students by questionnaire method. The Third Formula of Hayashi's Quantification Scaling (a multi-dimensional analysis in case of no external criterion) and the cluster analysis were applied to the data, from which following results were obtained : 1) The easier the sport events, the greater the degree of sport participation. Males had a slight tendency to participate in competitive and heavy outdoor sports, whereas females tended to participate in ready and sociable indoor sports. 2) Axis^I (masculine vs. feminine or heavy vs. easy), Axis^<II> (popular vs. special or technical), and Axis^<III> (fashionable vs. traditional or recreational vs. competitive) were proved to be significant axes or dimensions discriminating sports. 3) In order to determine the centrality or marginality of sports, the distances from the origin of the coordinate axes were calculated, and to analyse the relative similarity among sports, the distances between each sports were calculated (Fig. 5, 6, 7). As a result, the greater the ratio of sport participation, the more central the distance from the origin and the greater the degree of similarity. 4) Putting the above results together, six patterns of sports were obtained: 1) those which are popular, easy and central; (2) those which are slightly marginal but popular, oriented to pleasure and sociability; (3) those which are individual or outdoor activities as a regular function or for pleasure; (4) those which are masculine, slightly popular and competitive; (5) those which are easy, fashionable and recreational; (6) those which are masculine, heavy, special and marginal. Details are shown in Fig. 7. 5) The relationship between participation patterns in sports and ten elements related to them were analysed. Consequently, Axis^I was closely related to the sexes, the degree of sport participation and the degree of sport experiences; Axis^<II> to the degree of sport experiences, the degree of sport participation, the amount of free time, the degree of sport preference, sport facilities and friends; Axis^<III> to the sexes, the degree of sport experiences, the amount of free time and sport friends. In addition, the elements related to sports had stronger influences on males than females, and social elements on females than males.