*3.1.4 Comparison of engagement, partial statements and overall factor in sports-active, sports-inactive boys, sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls*

The statement E2 ´I get completely absorbed in what I am doing´ reached sports-active boys the highest score among all statements (3.88), and the lowest score was found in the statement E4 ´When I am learning something new, I lose track of how much time has passed´, for sports-inactive girls (2.78) (**Figure 4**).

The comparison within the overall factor engagement found the statistical significance between sports-active boys and sports-inactive girls (U = 985, p = .017), sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls (U = 1265,5, p = .032).

No statistical significance was found in the overall perseverance factor in the comparison of sports-active boys and sports-inactive boys, sports-active boys and sports-active girls, sports-inactive boys and sports-active girls, sports-inactive boys and sports-inactive girls.

Engagement is stronger when we engage in activities we like. Engagement is stronger when we cognitively focus on the activity that we perform right now. Engagement is stronger when we are in a state of being conscious or aware of the activity that we are involved in.

### **3.2 The factor: Perseverance**

Perseverance is the factor that explains the ability to keep doing something difficult and endure even when one is no longer in control. It is the continuation in an effort to do something or achieve something despite difficulties and failures. Preparedness to cope with, master and overcome difficulties is part of perseverance.

*Well-Being and Happiness Feelings in Sports-Active and Sports-Inactive Adolescents DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108957*

### *3.2.1 Comparison of perseverance in boys and girls*

Three statements (P1, P3 and P4) are with higher scores in boys than in girls. Only one statement P2 reached a higher score in girls (**Figure 5**). Girls can with stronger persuasion keep doing schoolwork until it is finished. No statistical significance was found between all pairs of statements for comparison between boys and girls.

The biggest differences Δ = .21 (in favour of boys, but not with the statistical significance) in presenting statements between boys and girls are in statements P1 and P4, where boys predominated over girls in thought and in the persuasion that they more than girls finish whatever they begin and that they are harder workers than girls. Perseverance as the overall factor composed of four items is almost at the same level in boys and girls so both boys and girls are able to follow and fulfil their goals even when difficulties occur.

### *3.2.2 Comparison of perseverance in sports-active boys and sports-inactive boys*

When comparing sports-active and sports-inactive boys for the individual statements that create the perseverance factor, we found that there are significant differences in the strength of the evaluation of individual statements that were manifested in the statistical significance of the differences for the three statements and also for the overall perseverance factor (**Figure 6**).

Sports-active boys more strongly evaluated their attitude to the expression that they finish everything they start (P1: U = 750, p < .001), that they stick to completing the plans they started (P3: U = 583.5, p < .001) and that they are harder workers (P4: U 889, p = 007) than sports-inactive boys. The overall perseverance factor also recorded statistical significance U = 748, p < .001 in favour of sportsactive boys.

There were different evaluations for individual statements among sports-active boys that resulted in the finding of statistical significance when comparing the

### **Figure 5.**

*Perseverance: Partial statements, and overall factor in boys and girls.*

### **Figure 6.**

*Perseverance: Partial statements and overall factor in sports-active boys and sports-inactive boys.*

evaluations of the statements with each other: P2 with P1 (Z = 2.747, p = .006), P3 with P1 (Z = 2.491, p = .013), P3 with P2 (Z = 4.173, p < .001), P4 with P2 (Z = 3.664, p < .001), P4 with P3 (Z = 1.961, p = .050). We did not observe anything similar in sports-inactive boys.

## *3.2.3 Comparison of perseverance in sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls*

Perseverance (**Figure 7**) contained in statements P2 ´I keep at my schoolwork until I am done with it´ and P4 ´I am a hard worker´ reached statistical significance in the

### **Figure 7.**

*Perseverance: Partial statements and overall factor in sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls.*

*Well-Being and Happiness Feelings in Sports-Active and Sports-Inactive Adolescents DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108957*

differences between sports-active and sports-inactive girls (P2: U = 125,5, p = .024; P4: U = 1161,5, p = .005).

Statistical significance in the value of U = 1258,5, p = .029 is also shown for the overall perseverance factor between sports-active and sports-inactive girls.

We present a comparison of the strength of expression for individual statements among sports-active girls, and we found four significant differences in expressions of the strength of attitude towards individual statements: P3 with P1 (Z = 3.995, p < .001), P4 with P1 (Z = 3.504, p < .001), P3 with P2 (Z = 2.223, p = .026), P4 with P2 (Z = 2.446, p = .014).

Three comparisons of statements each to the other from the perseverance factor among sports-inactive girls reached statistical significance: P3 with P1 (Z = 2.615, p = .009), P3 with P2 (Z = 2.399, p = .016), P4 with P3 (Z = 2.579, p = .010).

## *3.2.4 Comparison of perseverance, partial statements and overall factor in sports-active, sports-inactive boys, sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls*

The highest value of the score from the individual statements from the perseverance factor occurs in statement P3 (3.98) in sports-active boys and the lowest value of the score is in statement P2 (2,72) in sports-inactive girls (**Figure 8**).

The overall perseverance factor did not show statistically significant differences comparing sports-inactive boys and sports-inactive girls, sports-active boys and sports-active girls.

### **Figure 8.**

*Perseverance: Partial statements and overall factor in sports-active boys, sports-inactive boys, sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls.*

Statistical significance in the differences was recorded between sports-active boys and sports-inactive boys (U = 748, p < .001, in favour of sports-active boys), between sports-active girls and sports-inactive girls (U = 1258,5, p = .029 in favour of sportsactive girls), between sports-inactive boys and sports-active girls (U = 1139, p = .015 in favour of sports-active girls) and between sports-active boys and sports-inactive girls (U = 895.5, p = .003 in favour of sports-active boys).

Perseverance helps a person to find who is better prepared for solving problems. A person can think he/she is prepared, but in a time of difficulties, preparedness will put him/her squarely in front of the mirror of truth, and then he/she can find if he/she is enough strong to overcome and solve these difficulties. Difficulties point out and discover the weaknesses of a person.
