A Quantitative Examination of Alcohol Consumption Motivation Between Fraternity and Non-Fraternity Men

The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in motivation between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. The researcher hypothesized that there would be no significant motivational factor to consume alcohol among the population and no significant difference between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. To better examine differences, a quantitative study was conducted by surveying the population of freshmen males at a mid-sized, Midwestern, 4-year, public institution. The Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) was used to measure four types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, external regulation, identified regulation, and amotivation. Out of the 58 participants, 48 surveys were usable (N = 40 non-fraternity participants and N = 8 fraternity participants). The use of an independent samples t-test resulted in no significant motivational factors to consume alcohol among either population. However, there was a significant difference between the fraternity and non-fraternity participants on internal motivation (p =p = .001). The results suggest that freshmen males in fraternities are more likely to be motivated through peers and external regulation than their peers that do not belong to a fraternity