This study employed the College Students’ Motivation for Participating in Sports Recreation Scale to test 246 Da-Yeh University students in order to investigate the variance in motivation for participating in sports recreation. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, a t-test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’s post-test. The results revealed that: 1.The primary reason that college students participate in sports recreation is the “health and fitness” factor; whereas, the “release of tension” factor is less important. 2.Significant differences between the genders exist with regard to motivation for participating in sports recreation (p<.05). 3.Significant differences between various statuses exist with regard to motivation for participating in sports recreation (p<.05). 4.Subjects who had previous sports experience obtained higher scores on every factor of motivation for participating in sports recreation than those who had no previous experience (p<.05). 5.There was no significant difference among the various classes on motivation for participating sports recreation (p>.05). 6.Significant differences among various frequencies of exercise exist with regard to motivation for participating in sports recreation (p<.05). In consideration of the results of this study, the researchers present some relative suggestions for physical education teachers and future research.