Patrick Gaudreau
University of Ottawa, Canada
Motivation and self-regulation are two building pillars of sport, exercise, and physical education. The goal of this special issue is to create bridges between these two pillars to better explicate how they respectively influence consequential outcomes of athletes, exercisers, and physical education students. Before presenting the special issue, an overview of the motivation and self-regulation constructs is presented. This special issue contains six empirical studies in which the researchers have examined some self-regulatory functions combined with some relevant motivational factors. In each article, authors were encouraged to insightfully reflect upon how their findings are shedding light to our effort to bring together principles of motivation and self-regulation.
Keywords: Exercise, Motivation, Physical activity, Physical education, Self- Regulation, Sport
Jeremie Verner-Filion *, Robert J. Vallerand **, Eric G. Donahue *, Elise Moreau ***, Annick Martin * and Genevieve A. Mageau ***
(*) Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
(**) McGill University, Montréal, Canada and Australian Catholic University
(***) Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
The present paper examined the interplay between key motivational and selfregulatory processes, namely passion and coping strategies, and their relation with anxiety in the sport domain. Two studies with a combined 348 athletes were conducted in order to test a model whereby two types of passion were differentially related to anxiety through the use of different coping strategies. Overall, results supported our hypotheses by demonstrating that harmonious passion was associated to approach-oriented coping strategies which, in turn, were related to less anxiety. In contrast, obsessive passion was positively related to avoidance-oriented coping strategies which, in turn, were associated with more anxiety. This paper identifies coping strategies as a mediator in the relation between passion and anxiety, thus providing further support for the study of the relation between motivational and self-regulatory processes in order to better understand athletes’ psychological adjustment in sport.
Keywords: Anxiety, Coping Strategies, Passion, Sport
Alison L. Smith * and Nikos Ntoumanis **
(*) University of Bath, UK
(**) University of Birmingham, UK
Developing upon previous research advocating the benefits of autonomous motives for personal goal striving (e.g., Sheldon & Elliot, 1999), this study examined the role of goal motives in predicting athletes’ disengagement and alternative reengagement responses to unattainable goals. To assess responses to goal failure, 203 University athletes were asked to imagine that a current personally important goal had become unattainable. Structural equation modeling revealed autonomous goal motives to be negatively associated with goal disengagement but positively related to alternative reengagement. In contrast, controlled motives were found to be unrelated to both disengagement and reengagement. The findings are discussed in terms of the role of goal motives for individuals faced with imminent goal failure.
Keywords: Motivation, Goal setting, Self-Determination, Well-being
Thomas Curran *, Andrew, P. Hill **, Howard K. Hall *** and Gareth E. Jowett ***
(*) Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, UK
(**) Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
(***) Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, York St John University, UK
Understanding of how coaches influence adolescents’ levels of engagement and disaffection in youth sport is important in light of the high attrition in this population. Grounded in self-determination theory, we proposed and tested a mediation model that describes pathways linking perceptions of coach behavior (autonomy supportive versus controlling) to adolescents’ engagement and disaffection via psychological need satisfaction and thwarting in youth sport. One-hundred and fifty-three adolescent soccer players (Mage = 13.96 ± 1.41) completed a questionnaire that assessed the study variables. Structural equation modelling supported the hypothesised model. Perceptions of autonomy support positively predicted psychological need satisfaction which, in turn, positively predicted engagement. Perceptions of controlling behaviors positively predicted psychological need thwarting which, in turn, positively predicted disaffection. In addition, a number of cross-over paths emerged. The findings substantiate claims that encouraging self-directed action, and reducing controlling behaviors, is critical in order to foster engagement and avoid disaffection in youth sport.
Keywords: Athlete, Autonomy Support, Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction
Katie E. Gunnell *, Peter R. E. Crocker *, Diane E. Mack ** and Bruno D. Zumbo ***
(*) School of Kinesiology, The University of British Columbia
(**) Behavioural Health Sciences Research Lab, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, affiliated with Center for Bone and Muscle Health
(***) Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia
PURPOSE: To investigate the mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in the relationship between exercise self-schema and outcomes of well-being and physical activity. METHODS: Individuals (N = 153; 55.6% female, Mage = 41 years old, SD = 12.59) completed one online questionnaire. RESULTS: Results of the Structural Equation Modeling indicated that descriptive exercise self-schema was related to vitality, positive affect and negative affect through the mediator of psychological need satisfaction. No significant indirect effects emerged between importance exercise-self-schema and outcomes. Overall model R2’s for well-being and physical activity variables ranged from .20-.56. DISCUSSION: Descriptive and importance exercise self-schema differentially predicted psychological need satisfaction and outcomes of well-being and physical activity. Psychological need satisfaction could be one possible mechanism that is responsible for the relationship between descriptive exercise self-schema and outcomes of positive affect, vitality and negative affect.
Keywords: Psychological Need Satisfaction, Self-Schema, Identity, Physical Activity, Self-Determination Theory, Well-being
Kaspar Schattke *, Veronika Brandstätter **, Geneviève Taylor *** and Hugo M. Kehr *
(*) Lehrstuhl für Psychologie, Technische Universität München, Germany
(**) Allgemeine Psychologie (Motivation), University of Zurich, Switweland
(***) Département d’éducation et de pédagogie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Flow is a state of optimal experience in which people get fully absorbed by a smoothly running activity that they pursue for the sake of it. Based on the classical approach to motivation, recent theoretical considerations suggest that incentives provided by the current activity that are congruent with one’s implicit motives will lead to flow. In a field experiment, we examined wall climbers’ achievement motive and compared their flow on four climbing routes with varying achievement incentive strengths. Only climbers with a high achievement motive experienced more flow after repeating an intraindividually skill exceeding route, which they had failed before. Performing better was a strong achievement incentive. The findings suggest that motive-incentive congruence is another important precondition for flow.
Keywords: Achievement motive, Classical approach to motivation congruence, Fear of failure Flow experience, Hope of success, Implicit motives Motivebehavior congruence, Motive-incentive
Mirko Wegner * and Thomas Teubel **
(*) University of Bern, Institute of Sport Science, Switzerland
(**) Business School Berlin Potsdam, Germany
Motivational research over the past decade has provided ample evidence for the existence of two distinct motivational systems. Implicit motives are affect-based needs and have been found to predict spontaneous behavioral trends over time. Explicit motives, in contrast, represent cognitively based self-attributes and are preferably linked to choices. The present research examined the differentiating and predictive value of the implicit vs. explicit achievement motives for team sports performances. German students (N = 42) completed a measure of the implicit (Operant Motive Test) and the explicit achievement motive (Achievement Motive Scale- Sport). Choosing a target distance was significantly predicted by the explicit achievement motive measure. By contrast, repeated performances in a team tournament were significantly predicted by the implicit measure. Results are in line with findings showing that implicit and explicit motive measures are associated with different classes of behavior.
Keywords: Achievement motivation, Decision making, Explicit motive, Implicit motive, Performance, Team sports