Abstract

Participation in extracurricular activities contributes many positive effects on a student’s overall collegiate educational experience. One important activity is participation in national conferences. To understand the factors that motivate and inhibit participation in national student focused conferences, a survey was developed and distributed to participants at the National American Collegiate Horseman’s Association (ACHA) convention. Results of this study suggest that as personal and employment motivations increase, and perceived social barriers decrease, interest in participating in collegiate ACHA events increases (F_{chg(3, 81)}=6.14, p<0.01). Personal and employment motivations and social barriers to participation predict 47% of the variability in interest in participating in collegiate events. This creates a need for advisors to construct a welcoming environment that focuses on decreasing social barriers, which in turn can increase participation and the benefits students receive from involvement in collegiate activities.