Introduction. The impact of mobile applications on the physical activity of Tourism and Recreation students in Krakow has not been the subject of in-depth research so far. The aim of this study is to identify the areas of management, scope of use and motivation for using mobile applications during physical activity by students of Tourism and Recreation. The theoretical framework for motivation analysis is the Achievement Goal Theory.
Material and methods. A quantitative approach was adopted, surveys were conducted among students of Tourism and Recreation in Krakow. The basic parameters of descriptive statistics, coefficient of variation V, and correlation coefficients were calculated.
Results. Students of Tourism and Recreation use mobile applications while running, cycling and aerobics. The most important functionalities for students are those that support processes of controlling the performance of their physical activity. The results show that, with regard to the Achievement Goal Theory, stronger motivation comes from aspects falling into the Goal category.
Conclusions. In the theoretical aspect, the results deepened the understanding of the processes of individual management of students’ physical activity; in the methodological aspect, they allowed the researchers to conclude that the Achievement Goal Theory is suitable for analysing the motivation to use mobile applications during physical activity, while in the practical aspect, the results indicated the possibility of improving the quality of students’ physical activity through individual management with the efficient use of mobile applications.
