A Comparative Study of Measuring the Tendency of Female Athletes to Use Hijab in Iran and Selected Arab Countries

The aim of the present study was a comparative study to assess the tendency of female athletes to use hijab in Iran and selected Arab countries. The present study was a descriptive comparative study that was performed by field method. The statistical population of the study included female athletes in Iran and Arab countries. 195 people in Iran and 187 people from Arab countries (Iraq, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar) were selected through available sampling as a research sample. The research instrument included a questionnaire on the tendency to use hijab, Khajeh Nouri et al. (2012). The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed and its reliability in a pilot study was 0.80 through Cronbach's alpha.The questionnaire was translated into Persian in Iran and translated into Arabic for selected countries, and was distributed to participants electronically through cyberspace. Finally, 382 questionnaires were collected. Manova multivariate analysis of variance using spss22 software was used to analyze the data. Findings of the study showed that there was no significant difference in the components of appearance, individual outcomes, sports factors and social consequences of Iranian female athletes with a significantly higher mean, in the components of optimal coverage and knowledge of philosophy and religious rules.