Athletes engagement: Relation to dispositional FLOW state and sport specific achievement motivation and metaphorical perceptions

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the athlete's engagement levels and to determine the relationships between athlete engagement, dispositional flow state and sport-specific achievement motivation. In addition, it was aimed to examine the predictive effects of gender, age and athletic characteristics of athletes on athlete engagement, dispositional flow state and sport-specific achievement motivation. In addition, the metaphorical perceptions of the participants about sports were examined in relation to athlete engagement. Methods: In the research, "Nested Mixed Pattern", one of the mixed research methods, was used. Sampling; 499 athletes between the ages of 14-18 were included. "Athlete Engagement Scale", "Dispositional Flow State Scale-2", "Sport-Specific Achievement Motivation Scale" and "Personal Information Form" were used as data collection tools. Data were collected via an online form. In data analysis, multiple linear regression, canonical correlation, hierarchical regression and qualitative data were evaluated using content analysis techniques. Findings: It was observed that the level of engagement of the athletes was high. A positive relationship between athlete engagement and dispositional flow state and sport-specific achievement motivation. Among the variables examined, gender and weekly training times were found to significantly predict athlete engagement and dispositional flow state. However, the findings also showed that metaphor categories supporting the high level of engagement of the athletes were formed. Results: It can be said that the athlete's engagement to the sport is an important variable that affects the dispositional flow state and sport-specific achievement motivation, which are among the parameters related to their performance. Keywords: Athlete Engagement, Dispositional Flow State, Sport-Specific Achievement Motivation, Metaphorical Perceptions.