Relationship Between Group Culture and Athletic Performance among Sportsmen and Sportswomen at Kenyatta University in Nairobi City County, Kenya: Relationship Between Peer Pressure And Athletic Performance

The concept of group culture has been integrated in sports, where it allows sports women and sports men to bond creating a norm of behaviour and routine that directly influence how the team functions and performs. Kenyatta University is a recognized sports hub, producing talent who compete at both local, regional, and global levels. This study researched on the influence of group culture on the athletic performance of sports men and sports women at Kenyatta University. Consistently, one major construct of group culture, which is peer pressure, was studied. The research resulted in the formulation of a model that would be utilized to understand how to enhance the performance of sports men and women at Kenyatta University through group culture. The theory that was used for this study was operant conditioning by B. F Skinner. The behavioural approach considers that to maintain being a good performer in sports, one has to learn skills and unlearn the ones with a negative outcome. The research employed a correlational design. The independent variable was the group culture (peer pressure) while the dependent variable was athletic performance. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26.0 was utilized to analyze the data. The study was conducted at Kenyatta University, the main campus in Nairobi City County, Kenya, since this is where the sportsmen and sportswomen were easily found, considering the institution offers grounds where they come for training daily. The target population was the sportsmen and sportswomen who actively participate in the games and represent Kenyatta University in various league matches. The target population was approximately 606 athletes. The sample consisted of 241 sports men and sports women from the different games at Kenyatta University. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling, whereas questionnaires were used to collect data. The data analysis used in this study is quantitative analysis to investigate the relationship between group culture and athletic performance among sportsmen and sportswomen at Kenyatta University in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The outcome from this study revealed that higher levels of peer pressure were linked to decreased athletic performance, while greater implementation of group culture interventions was associated with improved athletic performance. The research resulted in measures that will form a model expected to assist the coaches in knowing how to enhance the group culture of their sportsmen and sportswomen, which may, in turn, improve their athletic performance.