Student Interest and Motivation in Participating in Volleyball Extracurricular Activities at SMP

This study aims to analyze the level of students’ interest and motivation in participating in volleyball extracurricular activities at SMP Negeri 1 Rantau Pandan, Bungo Regency. Extracurricular sports activities play a strategic role in supporting students’ holistic development; however, preliminary observations indicated that students’ participation in volleyball extracurricular activities was not evenly distributed. While some students demonstrated high enthusiasm and consistent attendance, others showed low engagement, irregular participation, and limited motivation. Low interest was reflected in minimal active involvement and lack of enthusiasm during training sessions, whereas suboptimal motivation—particularly intrinsic motivation—was characterized by students giving up easily, perceiving training activities as monotonous, and experiencing limited pride or satisfaction in personal achievement. This study employed a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach to provide an objective and measurable overview of students’ interest and motivation. The research sample consisted of 25 students who actively participated in volleyball extracurricular activities, comprising 13 female students and 12 male students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a Likert scale, consisting of 20 statement items measuring students’ interest and 20 statement items measuring students’ motivation. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in the form of percentages. The results revealed that the level of students’ interest reached 66%, while students’ motivation achieved a higher percentage of 69%. Overall, the combined average of students’ interest and motivation was 68%, which falls into the good category. Nevertheless, the findings also indicated that 32% of students still exhibited relatively low interest in participating in volleyball extracurricular activities. These results suggest that although the extracurricular volleyball program has generally succeeded in fostering positive interest and motivation, further improvements are required to enhance students’ intrinsic motivation and active engagement. The findings provide empirical evidence that can serve as a basis for developing more effective and student-centered extracurricular sports programs in schools.