Competence motivation in the physical domain: the relevance of self- theories in sport and physical education

Competence motivation in the physical domain: the relevance of self- theories in sport and physical educatio

An exploratory study of passion in professional ballet dancers

An exploratory study of passion in professional ballet dancer

Motivated implicit beliefs in physical education: Is there a self-serving bias? [Abstract]

Conference abstrac

Individual-level change in achievement goals in physical education

We examined different methods of assessing individual-level stability and change in goal adoption within the context of school physical education (PE) over the transition from primary to secondary school and between school years in Key Stage 3. We assessed whether implicit theories of ability and gender were associated with individual-level change and ipsative continuity. Data from two longitudinal samples in which pupils completed self-reports of achievement goal adoption and implicit theories of ability are presented. Across both samples there was evidence of both goal stability and change across the key transition periods and some evidence for the role of implicit theories of ability in goal stability and change at the individual-level. Pupil gender was not associated with stability and change in goals in a consistent manner. Implications for future research are discussed

Temporal relations among multidimensional perceptions of competence and trichotomous achievement goals in physical education

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was two-fold: (1) To empirically establish whether young people differentiate their perceived competence in physical education (PE) in terms of the self, mastery of tasks, and others, and (2) To examine longitudinal relations between these three ways of defining perceived competence and trichotomous achievement goals. Methods: At the start of the study, students (n = 227 males, n = 205 females; M age = 13.18, SD =.87 years) completed measures of mastery-approach, performance-approach- and performance-avoidance goals, along with other-, self- and mastery-referent forms of perceived competence. The same measures were subsequently recorded three, six and nine months later. Results: Analyses supported longitudinal factorial invariance for each goal and each type of perceived competence. Partial support was found for the positive influence of other-referent perceived competence on approach- and avoidance-performance goal adoption over time. Conclusion: Young people can construe their competence in PE in various ways. Relative to one’s classmates, increases in other-referenced perceptions of competence can subsequently lead to increased adoption of both performance goals

Approaches to measuring academic resilience: A systematic review

Recent years have seen increased government funding into resilience-building programmes in schools. However, practitioners are unable to assess the efficacy of interventions due to the lack of an available measure of academic resilience. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the methods investigators have employed to measure academic resilience. A computerised literature search was conducted to identify journal articles where academic resilience was either; a) inferred through assessment of risk and positive adaptation or b) assessed using a measurement scale comprising protective factors. Results demonstrated significant variability in the factors utilised to represent risk and positive adaptation, and an inconsistent use of measurement scales. Different approaches to measuring academic resilience across studies leads to inconsistencies when estimating prevalence of the concept and the impact of resilience-based interventions. A discussion of the psychometric rigor of approaches to assessment is provided, with specific recommendations for future development of a measurement of academic resilience

Social comparison processes and pupil outcomes in physical education

Social comparison processes and pupil outcomes in physical educatio

The effect of perceived psychological need support on amotivation in physical education

Physical educators have a responsibility to create a learning environment that is viewed as supportive of students’ psychological needs and which helps reduce amotivation. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of students’ perceived need support on four dimensions of amotivation in physical education (PE) (deficiency in ability beliefs, deficiency in effort beliefs, insufficient task values and unappealing task characteristics). A longitudinal design was employed with three assessment points over a 6-week unit of work in cricket. Surveys were conducted with 162 boys (mean age ¼ 14 years, SD ¼ 0.87) over three consecutive PE lessons in weeks one, three and five. At the start of the study, multilevel modelling analyses showed all three types of perceived need support negatively predicted unappealing task characteristics and insufficient task values. Over time, perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness support negatively predicted change in unappealing task characteristics but did not significantly predict change in deficiency in ability beliefs, deficiency in effort beliefs and insufficient task values. Overall, the findings suggest that if students perceive their teacher to provide inadequate support for their basic psychological needs, PE tasks become less appealing over time, thus reinforcing the importance of teachers in ameliorating the development of specific amotivated behaviours in PE

Resilience in physical education: A qualitative exploration of protective factors

Resilience refers to findings that some individuals have good outcomes despite exposure to stressors, and protective factors are defined as influences that alter a person’s response to such stressors. Academic resilience research identifies factors that promote positive educational outcomes; however no research to date investigates student resilience in the unique context of Physical Education (PE). The current study sought to explore protective factors that alter secondary school students’ responses to the common stressors associated with PE participation. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with six teachers and 54 students, and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. In line with the conceptualisation of protective factors, higher order themes of individual assets and environmental factors were identified. Individual assets included personality, cognitive factors (e.g. value of PE activities) and behavioural factors (e.g. attending extra-curricular activities). Environmental factors included teacher and peer support, and the relative importance of PE promoted by the school and parents

The relationship between psychological well- and ill-being, and perceived autonomy supportive and controlling interpersonal styles: A longitudinal study of sport coaches

The present study longitudinally explored sports coaches' psychological well-being (positive affect and integration of coaching with one's sense of self) and ill-being (negative affect and devaluation of coaching) as predictors of their perceived autonomy supportive and controlling interpersonal styles towards individuals under their instruction. Participants were 195 sport coaches who completed questionnaire measures at three time points across an eleven-month period. Controlling for social desirability, multilevel analyses revealed that within-person increases and individual differences in positive affect and integration were positively associated with autonomy support. Conversely, within-person increases and individual differences in negative affect, but not devaluation, were associated with increased use of interpersonal control. The indicators of well-being did not predict interpersonal control and the indicators of ill-being did not predict autonomy support. In their entirety, the present findings suggest that autonomy supportive and controlling interpersonal styles have unique correlates, and affective determinants may play a particularly central role in controlling interpersonal styles. Supporting the psychological health of coaches may lead them to create an adaptive interpersonal environment for their athletes