ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE MOTIVATION OF HUNGARIAN JUNIOR HANDBALL PLAYERS

Study purpose. In sports, just like in everyday life, motivation plays an important role in achieving individual goals. Motivation is an individual’s decision to engage in certain activities and make various efforts to do so. Sports require a continuous, constant effort from individuals, so it is even more important here that the athlete has the necessary motivation. Without motivation, it is not possible to do sports at a high level in the long term. The aim of the study was to examine the sports motivation factors of handball players in the Hungarian junior classes. Handball is one of the most popular sports in Hungary. As a result, it can be said that, from the point of view of the long-term success of the sport, it is essential to know the factors that motivate youth athletes. Materials and methods. We collected the data required for the research using a questionnaire. The research took place in the fall of 2022


Introduction
The role of sport and physical education has become more valued nowadays, as it can contribute to the realization of health, social and economic goals. In Hungary, the promotion of regular sports for young people also appears in the government strategy as a social goal. Accordingly, in recent decades, countless opportunities have opened up for young people to participate in various sports activities. Simultaneously with the spread of sport, research related to sport and athletes is playing an increasingly important role in international and domestic research. Researching the motivation of athletes is one of the central topics of sports psychology researchers. International research has been done on the reasons why individuals start a sport or why they don't continue a given sport, as well as what motivational factors affect athletes during sports activities (Jones, Mackay & Peters, 2006). Motivation is a factor that encourages a person's behavior and directs it in a certain direction. Individuals differ not only in their ability to perform a certain task, but also in their motivations and willingness to perform the task. Motivation is a kind of internal drive that affects the driving forces and needs that trigger and direct the efforts of individuals to achieve.
In sports, it is important to understand the motivations behind an individual's behavior, what triggers it and what modifies the athletes' behavior. The motivational factors that appear in individuals to play sports can be intrinsically motivated (for example, passion for sports, enjoyment of playing sports) and external factors (for example, reward, improved health, good appearance, the role of the environment). The aim of our study was to assess which motivational factors have the greatest effect on youth handball players in Hungary. The obtained results can help to understand which motivational factors are important for young athletes.
The study of motivation has been a key area of interest for sport psychologists since the early 1990s. What motivates an athlete can depend on many factors. Some research has shown that the motivation of competitive athletes and those participating in leisure activities is different. In competitive sports, it is mainly the results achieved, while in leisure activities it is the enjoyment of the sport that motivates (Frederick & Ryan, 1993). However, according to Vazou et al. (2007), no matter what kind of sports activity we participate in, it is important to love and enjoy the chosen type of sport, because it can maintain the individual's motivational level in the long term. So, in the case of an athlete, internal motivation can be considered more effective in the long term. Athletes driven by internal motivation are able to give their maximum even when there is no stake in their performance or when no one is watching them. In the case of internal motivation, the individual pursues the sport for the joy of the sport and for the resulting enjoyment. During internal motivation, the athlete enjoys training and learning processes when he can learn new movements and skills (Thomas & Güllich, 2019). In the case of external motivation, the athlete is driven by various rewards or recognition from others, so the athlete is influenced by an external factor in maintaining motivation. If the individual's extrinsic motivation ceases, the motivated behavior will most likely cease as well. It can be said that the existence of external motivation is very important at the beginning of sports activities, as it increases performance. If used correctly, these motivational tools can be beneficial for athletes (Ridwan et al., 2022). Most athletes are motivated by goals such as winning an award or a tournament, which is outside of intrinsic motivation. The problem is caused when someone excessively focuses on external rewards, so the enjoyment of sports activities is lost, this can demotivate the athlete in the long term and negatively affect sports performance (Jõesaar et al., 2011). Like the aforementioned authors, Hoffmann (2007) collected and grouped possible motivations for sports according to motives. Such motives are the motive of winning, the motive of being together, the motive of health and fitness, and the motive of play and fun. In the case of a winning motive, individuals participate in various sports competitions because they want to test their skills and enjoy the positive feedback that comes from being a winner. The motive of being together makes the individual participate in sports with friends and enjoy playing sports together. In the case of the motive of health and fitness, the athlete participates in the given sport because of the positive effects provided by the given activity. In the case of the motive of play and fun, the joy caused by sport prompts the individual to perform the activity.
Individual and team sports participants may also have different motivational factors. Several international studies have investigated the differences between the motivation of individual and team sports participants. In their study, Benar and Loghmani (2014) compared the sports motivation and goal orientation of young athletes. Their results showed that individual athletes were more motivated for results than team athletes. According to Jakobsen (2014), the interest/ enjoyment scores of athletes in team sports are higher than in individual sports, but he found no difference in the motivation to participate in sports in team and individual sports.
In sport psychology, two main motivational directions appear most often (Fenton et al., 2016;Méndez-Giménez et al., 2012), the Self-Determination Theory and the performance goal (goal orientation) theories. The selfdetermination theory is close to many theories, including the Basic Psychological Needs theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Self-determination theory focuses on the extent to which an individual's behavior is self-motivated. It deals with the motivations behind the decisions that individuals make without any external influence. It is coded in individuals to look for situations in which they can promote their self-development. According to the theory, all individuals have three innate basic needs, which are the following: independence (autonomy), competence and social relations. The individual tries to create a balance between the three basic needs. The essence of autonomy is that people should feel in control of their own behavior and goals. Competence includes all the innate needs that encourage us to acquire different skills and tasks. During social relationships, people need to know the feeling of attachment, what it is like to belong to others (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Achievement motivation was defined by Maehr and Nicholls (1980) as "conformity to standards or virtuous intentions rather than superior talent". According to Achievement Goal Theory, athletes are motivated when they have a predetermined goal (Ntoumanis & Biddle, 1999). A well-defined goal has a strong motivating effect. If the athlete can identify with the predetermined goal, it means greater commitment for him, which has a positive effect on his performance. If the individual has set several goals for himself, it is important to establish a suitable sequence for their implementation. Two types of goals can be defined during the theory, there are task-oriented goals and socalled self-centered goals. We can speak of a task-oriented athlete if the individual sees himself as a benchmark and always emphasizes learning and development. These athletes are characterized by the need to improve their knowledge, as they want to perform better in line with their internal expectations (Duda & Whitehead, 1998). As a result, they set goals for themselves that will improve their abilities the most, because they believe that their abilities can be improved. These individuals evaluate their own competencies in a completely self-reflective manner. By striving for personal development, the athlete has a much more positive effect. On the other hand, if the athletes' goals do not match their abilities, instead of motivation, anxiety appears in their behavior, which will almost certainly reduce the effectiveness of their performance (Monteiro et al., 2018). We can talk about self-centeredness if the given athlete compares his own abilities with those of other athletes and thereby wants to receive positive feedback about his abilities. In contrast to task-oriented athletes, they believe that they cannot change their abilities, which is precisely why they want to prove that they are better than their teammates and opponents. They try to avoid situations where their abilities may be revealed. We can talk about failure-avoidance behavior if the athlete sets his goals below his abilities, since in this case he can jump the set task without much effort, so the possibility of failure cannot arise. This behavior is typical of those who are afraid of taking risks and fear of failure, as they feel that they would not be able to perform well. As a result of these goals, the athlete may develop anxiety and worry due to the constant comparison (Nicholls, 1989). Thus, athletes who have a greater motivation to avoid failure achieve lower results than we would expect from them based on their potential and opportunities (Bratko et al., 2020).
According to some researchers (Côté, 1999;Strandbu et al., 2019;Duda, 2013), the environment also affects the athlete's actions. The environment has a significant impact on the athlete's attitude and personality development. Parents, friends and coaches play a decisive role in creating a motivational atmosphere (Castro-Sánchez et al., 2018). An environment that can properly motivate the athlete to achieve better performance is needed. However, it is important to emphasize that the most decisive actor in the motivational environment is the coach, since during his work he influences the athlete's motivations both directly and indirectly (Curran et al., 2015). The atmosphere created by the coach can have a positive or negative effect on the athlete (Bortoli al., 2014). Athletes' burnout syndrome is often caused by an inappropriate environment. The motivational climate is created by key individuals (e.g. parents and coaches) who influence the athletes and set goals and expectations for the athletes that also affect the individual's fears about sports (Gómez-López et al., 2020). Among the many environmental components that influence an athlete's motivation and subsequent performance, one of the most decisive factors is the quality of the relationship between the athlete and the coach (Mageau & Vallerand, 2003). Both the coach and the players must strive to build the right relationship for success and proper cooperation. Parties with a good relationship are much more successful than those with a bad coach-athlete relationship (Jowett & Wachsmuth, 2020). According to Jowett and Cockerill (2003), the establishment of a good relationship is vital, as it has a great impact on the athlete's motivation, as well as on the achievement of set goals and successes. The task-oriented environment emphasizes learning and development; thus the coach also has a positive effect on the player's development. In this environment, athletes can feel equal, as this atmosphere indicates to them that they equally contribute to the team's success and are an integral part of it. In such an environment, cooperation prevails and players believe that they all contribute to the team's success. On the other hand, in the case of a performance-oriented environment, the focus is on defeating and surpassing competitors. In this environment, it is typical for the coach to single out those players who are better than their peers, giving them special attention, thus illustrating that they must always give their best performance to the competitors, and also encourages them to compete with each other. Gives little positive feedback and is less supportive with athletes. The results achieved are not recorded as the success of the team as a whole, but those of the players who perform better than their peers.
In the following, the main results of our own research will be presented. In our research, we set out to define and analyze a less researched segment, the motivational factors of youth handball players.

Materials and methods
The main goal of the research was to assess the factors affecting the sports motivation of Hungarian youth handball players. During the research, we used the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ) developed by Gill, Gross, & Huddleston in 1983 as a starting point. Our final questionnaire contained 47 questions. The questionnaire was sent out on a national level among youth handball players. The survey took place in the fall of 2022, and a total of 190 evaluable questionnaires were returned. The survey was completely anonymous, which we also assured our respondents. In addition to demographic questions, the questionnaire included questions related to the motivation of athletes. During our research, we modified the 3-point Likert scale of the original PMQ questionnaire and used a 7-point scale in order to collect more accurate answers. 1 represented the statement "Not at all true", while 7 represented the statement "Completely true".
In Hungary, youth players are divided into 3 classes (I. II. III.) in both men's and women's fields. It is possible to participate in the first and second divisions by promotion or by remaining, while sports organizations can openly apply for the third division if they meet the given criteria. We sent the questionnaire to all teams of the first and second division by e-mail. Before sending out the questionnaire, we contacted the team leaders by e-mail, phone and social media and asked them to participate in the research.
The IBM SPSS statistics 26 program was used to analyze the data. To verify the research hypotheses, we run an analysis of variance. The essence of this is what effect our low measurement level variable (independent) has on the high measurement level variable (dependent). As a general rule, we accepted that the relationship is 0.0-0.2 weak, 0.2-0.5 medium, and 0.5-1.0 strong. Furthermore, we also examined significant differences between the independent variables.
After a detailed study of the studies presented in the literature review, we formulated 3 research hypotheses: H1: A significant relationship can be shown between the motivation of young handball players and the feeling of joy caused by the sport.
H2: A significant relationship can be shown between the feeling of guilt caused by quitting sports and the disappointment of the young athletes' environment.
H3: A significant relationship can be shown between the motivation of young handball players and the sports results achieved.
A summary of the demographic data is presented in Table 1. 190 people participated in the survey, of which 69 (36.3%) were boys and 121 (63.7%) were girls. Analyzing the age composition, it can be said that most of the respondents fell into the 16 and 18 age category, 41.5 percent of all respondents were from this age group. 40 people (21.1%) played in the Youth I. division, the fewest respondents in the Youth III. dropped out of class, 24 people (12.6%). The number of firstclass players was 72 (37.9%), our second-class players were 66 (34.8%), while the proportion of third-class players was 27.3% (52 people). A significant number of our respondents started playing sports on their own initiative, 133 of them (70.0%). It is also worth highlighting the 24 people (12.6%) who started the sport because of friends, as well as 18 people (9.5%) who started playing handball because of family.

Results
During our research, we examined how the independent variables established in our hypotheses affect the dependent variables. Significant differences between low-level variables (independent) were also examined. Our low-level variables were created from high-level variables, not proportionally, but by dividing the 7-point Likert scale into 3 parts. The first two values (1-2) were the first group, the values 3-5 were in the second group, and the values 6 and 7 formed the third group. Since there were large differences between our independent variables in all cases, we first examined normality, which was met in all cases.   For unmotivated players, the joy caused by sports reached an average of 1.87, while this average was 2.91 for moderately motivated players and 3.35 for highly motivated players (Table 3).
Since the homogeneity is broken, we examine the results of the Games-Howell (Table 4) test. It is clear that unmotivated players differ from moderately motivated players by 1.037 average points in absolute value (p = 0.025, standard error = 0.388). Between unmotivated and highly motivated players, this difference in absolute value is 1.478. There was also a significant difference between moderately motivated and highly motivated players, the difference in absolute value was 0.441. Based on the results of the tests, we accept our first hypothesis.
The second hypothesis of our research was aimed at examining the relationship between the feeling of guilt caused by quitting sports and the disappointment of the young athletes' environment. Based on the literature, we assumed that it is important for adolescent athletes what their environment thinks. Many people want to live up to their environment, including the coach, family, and friends, and the desire to prove themselves in sports is stronger because of them. When examining our second hypothesis, we first examined the homogeneity of variance, which (p=0.000) was damaged, so in this case we also performed the Welch test (Table 5), in which case the relationship between the two variables was verified (p=0.000). Based on our study, it can be said that the strength of the relationship between the two factors examined is medium (r=0.490). The average environmental frustration was 2.84. For those who do not feel guilty about quitting sports, the frustration of the environment is 1.75, while for those who feel moderately guilty about quitting sports, the frustration of the environment is 3.08. An average of 4.28 environmental frustrations characterized the athlete's environment for those athletes who felt guilty about quitting sports ( Table 6). The obtained results confirmed our assumption that a significant part of the youth athletes are motivated to continue the sport because they would like to respond to their environment.
Since homogeneity is broken, we examined the results of the Games-Howell test. There was also a significant difference between the groups here. There was a difference of 1.335 in absolute value between those who did not feel guilty about quitting sports and those who felt moderately guilty    about quitting sports (p = 0.000, standard error = 0.315). An average difference of 2,533 was detected between those who do not feel guilty and those who stop playing sports with a significant feeling of guilt. Between those who felt moderately and significantly guilty, the average difference was 1.198 in absolute value (Table 7). Based on the evaluation of the above data, we also accept the second hypothesis.
Our third hypothesis, which we created after studying the literature, assumed that a significant relationship can be shown between the motivation of young handball players and the sports results achieved. Even in this hypothesis test, the homogeneity of variance was damaged (p=0.000), so we used the previously proven Welch's test (Table 8) to show the significant relationship between the two variables (p=0.000). During the examination of the strength of the relationship (r=0.385), a relationship of medium strength was shown.
The average value of happiness caused by sports results was 2.88. In the case of unmotivated players, this was 1.90, in the case of moderately motivated players, it was 2.92, while in the case of motivated players, this average was 3.88 (Table  9). Based on these, it can be stated that the sports results achieved play a role in the motivation of the examined athletes and in their long-term maintenance.
Examining the significant difference between the groups, we analyzed the Games-Howell table. There was a significant difference between the three groups. There was an average difference of 1.019 in absolute value between the happiness caused by sports results of unmotivated and moderately motivated players (p = 0.006, standard error = 0.324). The average difference between unmotivated and motivated players was 1.975 in absolute value, while the average difference between moderately motivated and motivated players was 0.956 in absolute value.
Based on the above results, we also accept the third hypothesis, according to which a significant relationship can be demonstrated between the motivation of youth athletes and the feeling of happiness caused by the achieved sports results.
In our own study, it was confirmed that both internal and external motivational factors influence athletes, even junior athletes.

Discussion
The aim of this study was to (a) assess the motivational factors of Hungarian junior handball players and (b) formulate development proposals for those involved in the topic. During our own investigations, the analysis of both internal and external motivational factors was presented. Our first study focused on the intrinsic motivation of athletes. In line with other international researches, we managed to prove that the joy caused by sport is important for Hungarian junior handball players. Intrinsic motivation comes from within, is completely self-determined, and is characterized by an interest in and enjoyment of participating in sports (Vallerand, 2007). The same conclusion was reached by Hagger and Chatzisarantis in their 2007 study, according to which the enjoyment of sports activities is an important factor in the motivation of athletes. The existence of internal motivation is also important in order to achieve long-term goals. Athletes who can identify with the values offered by sport are able to provide high performance in the long term (Almagro et al., 2020). According to Weiss  (2012), the athlete's level of interest in sports is related to how much someone enjoys the sports activity, the more someone enjoys sports, the longer they will play sports. Our second hypothesis, according to which there is a connection between the athlete's motivation and his environment, was also proven. In many cases, the participants in the study were juveniles and were highly dependent on their parents for moral and financial support. Extrinsic drives include many factors that can motivate athletes, including social inclusion, health and good looks, achievement, rewards, money, sponsorship, fame, parents, coaches and the friends.
In the course of our research, we investigated the role of the athlete's wider environment among the external motivational factors: the coach, family, and friends in the motivation of junior athletes. According to the results obtained, the sense of guilt that characterizes the athlete when he stops playing sports and thereby disappoints his environment is related to the motivation of the respondents. Our results are also supported by Lassalle et al. 's 2018 study, in which they found that the support, help and encouragement of family members motivates their young relatives in sports activities.
In their study, Morgan and Giacobbi (2006) emphasize that successful athletes are born with a combination of favorable factors, such as genetics, and supportive environmental factors, including the support of family, coaches, and teammates. A 2004 study by Wolfden and Holt found that both coaches and parents play an important role in the lives of athletes. Similarly, in their study, Scanlan et al. (2003), believe that the level of encouragement provided by the family and the wider environment is very important for the sports performance of young athletes. Our third and last hypothesis was also proven, according to which a relationship can be shown between the achieved sports results and the motivation of Hungarian junior handball players. In sports, especially in competitive sports, athletes strive for the best possible performance, every athlete wants to perform well and win. Athletes do their best to achieve individual and, where applicable, team goals, which requires continuous and high-level motivation (Šmela et al., 2017). According to Mallet and Hanrahan, in their 2004 study, one of the self-defining behaviors of athletes is that they have strong motivation, persistence and strong desires to achieve personal goals. The attitude of junior Hungarian handball players towards sports is influenced by many factors, such as the enjoyment caused by sports activities, the sports results achieved and the family or environmental support, which have a significant impact on the motivation of young athletes, therefore the professionals working with young athletes must jointly identify these factors that trigger and maintain motivation must be taken into account.

Conclusions
The analysis of motivational factors is one of the fastest growing research areas in the field of sports psychology. The aim of our study was to examine what motivational factors affect the sports activities of Hungarian junior handball players. All three hypotheses set up during our research were accepted, and we showed that the motivational factors of junior handball players are multifaceted. Based on the obtained results, it can be stated that in addition to the internal motivational drive of athletes, which means the joy given by sports, the environment and the sports results achieved also play an important motivating role.
Our research has certain limitations, including the small sample size, the lack of similar studies for other sports, with which we could compare our results, thus gaining a broader perspective on the motivational factors of handball players. Despite these limitations, however, our study provides new results for those interested in the topic. Those active in junior age groups, including primarily coaches, must pay attention to the role of these motivational factors. It is important to make them aware that beyond the internal motivation of young athletes, the fact that the results achieved, even if they are not so great, definitely have a motivating effect on the young athletes, and that the family and the environment of the athletes also have a motivating role, therefore very a supportive and motivating atmosphere is important.
Given the paucity of studies on junior athletes, there are many opportunities for future research in this area. It would be interesting, for example, to extend the research to other sports, as well as to prepare further surveys and analyzes on the satisfaction of junior handball players with the sport, as well as the effect of the atmosphere between coaches and athletes on motivation.