Examining the Longitudinal Effects of the PE Class' Climate on Students' Goal Orientations and Intrinsic Motivation to be Physically Active

Nicholls' Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT) research has been examined within the PE and sport domains (Roberts & Treasure, 2012). However, very limited longitudinal research has been conducted, particularly with youth and adolescents. Research is needed to examine the impact of the PE motivational class climate on students' goal orientations toward PE and intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The first study assessed a professional development (PD) session with a school district's PE teachers focused on maximizing their development of a caring and task-involving climate. The effect of this session was assessed by comparing the secondary students' perceptions of the motivational climate for two semesters prior to the PD with student perceptions the semester immediately after the PD. Three important findings were revealed by analyzing each teacher's (N=8) multi-group SEM: a) significant effects from the PD were not found, b) experienced, individual PE teacher's motivational climate development is very consistent over time, and c) 75% of the teachers' models showed no significant correlation between intrinsic motivation and ego-involving climate perceptions. Together these results suggest that future PD for current PE teachers should emphasize ways to enhance the caring and task-involving climate, because these aspects were consistently correlated with the students' reported intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The second study tracked sixth grade students into their first seventh grade semester. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the seventh grade PE class climate on students' goal orientations, competence, and effort in PE. Enrolled PE students (N=376) were surveyed twice in sixth grade, and twice the following fall semester (N=216). Importantly, significant, positive within time correlations were found between the students' perceptions of the caring climate and their PE competence, effort, and task goal orientation adoption. The majority of the within time correlations were constrainable across the four time-points. This preliminary finding suggests that when students perceive a caring climate, they are also more likely to report greater competence, effort, and task orientation in PE. The findings support that these outcome variables are uniquely related to caring climate above and beyond their relationships with the task-involving climate

Developing a Caring Coaching Climate Fosters Confidence

When athletes buy-in to a positive training climate their training effort, enjoyment, and desire to continue all increase. This article focuses on practical approaches coaches can use today to promote a safe, personalized, and respect-filled atmosphere – integral building blocks for developing a successful caring climate

Planned Missingness Study Design: Two Methods to Developing the Study Survey Versions

A planned missingness data study design takes advantage of modern techniques for handling data missingness that is MCAR (Missing Completely at Random) and MAR (Missing at Random) (Brown, 2006; Enders, 2010). As modern data imputation techniques have improved, this study design option has become a powerful, cost-effective option for collecting the most data across the largest sample possible, while keeping the fatigue effect and expense of the study minimized (Little, 2010a, 2010b, 2012). The purpose of this guide is to provide an applied example for designing the surveys necessary when conducting a planned missingness research study design

Developing Youth\u27s Positive View of Physical Activity

Many youth start withdrawing from voluntary physical activity and physical education programs as they approach adolescence. Developmentally, this is also when youth can become more aware of their ability compared to others, and the amount of work it may take to improve their ability level. This focus on comparative performance standards can be affected by our coaching emphasis. This article highlights the characteristics and impacts of two coaching approaches. Particular emphasis is given to the specific behaviors adolescents have reported as fostering their effort, enjoyment, sportspersonship, and interest in continuing to be active

Construct-Validity of the Engagement with Challenge Measure for Adolescents: Structural- and Criterion-Validity Evidence

For adolescents, engaging with challenge is a key developmental task, hypothesized to support development of adult-like competencies (e.g., agency and self-direction; Larson, 2000). This study aimed to assess the construct-validity (structural- and concurrent-validity) of a new self-report measure assessing adolescents’ engagement with challenge to help researchers understand how different settings and the conditions in these settings support adolescents’ development. The sample consisted of 337 adolescents in 10 FFA programs along with the adult advisors in each program. Adolescents completed a questionnaire, which included the Engagement with Challenge measure and the following criterion variables: number of contests completed, participation frequency, and leadership roles. In addition to the self-reported criterion variables, the adult advisor evaluated Engagement with Challenge for each FFA student member in that program using a single item. The findings of this study provided strong evidence for the structural-validity of the engagement with challenge construct measured by the new scale, including having passed confirmatory factor analysis configural, weak, and strong invariance tests across four grade groupings. The findings also provided further evidence of construct-validity, as Engagement with Challenge correlated in the a priori hypothesized direction and magnitude. Suggestions for analysis with the new measure and for future research are presented

Strategies to Increase Athletes\u27 Transformational Leadership Behaviors During Strength and Conditioning Sessions

Often, leadership is presumed to naturally result from athletic experiences. However, leadership behaviors require practice. Strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) can provide opportunities for all athletes to practice transformational leadership behaviors, which can increase team cohesion and performance. This article reviews athlete leadership, including leadership roles and four transformational leadership behaviors (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation). Then, daily strategies SCCs can incorporate into training to foster athletes’ transformational leadership are presented. Followed by strategies for larger, rotating leadership experiences. These strategies can work with athletes across age, gender, and competitive level

Strategies to Increase Athletes\u27 Transformational Leadership Behaviors During Strength and Conditioning Sessions

Often, leadership is presumed to naturally result from athletic experiences. However, leadership behaviors require practice. Strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) can provide opportunities for all athletes to practice transformational leadership behaviors, which can increase team cohesion and performance. This article reviews athlete leadership, including leadership roles and four transformational leadership behaviors (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation). Then, daily strategies SCCs can incorporate into training to foster athletes’ transformational leadership are presented. Followed by strategies for larger, rotating leadership experiences. These strategies can work with athletes across age, gender, and competitive level

Construct-Validity of the Engagement with Challenge Measure for Adolescents: Structural- and Criterion-Validity Evidence

This is the published version.For adolescents, engaging with challenge is a key developmental task, hypothesized to support development of adult-like competencies (e.g., agency and self-direction; Larson, 2000). This study aimed to assess the construct-validity (structural- and concurrent-validity) of a new self-report measure assessing adolescents’ engagement with challenge to help researchers understand how different settings and the conditions in these settings support adolescents’ development. The sample consisted of 337 adolescents in 10 FFA programs along with the adult advisors in each program. Adolescents completed a questionnaire, which included the Engagement with Challenge measure and the following criterion variables: number of contests completed, participation frequency, and leadership roles. In addition to the self-reported criterion variables, the adult advisor evaluated Engagement with Challenge for each FFA student member in that program using a single item. The findings of this study provided strong evidence for the structural-validity of the engagement with challenge construct measured by the new scale, including having passed confirmatory factor analysis configural, weak, and strong invariance tests across four grade groupings. The findings also provided further evidence of construct-validity, as Engagement with Challenge correlated in the a priori hypothesized direction and magnitude. Suggestions for analysis with the new measure and for future research are presented

Psychometric Support for the Ownership in Exercise and Empowerment in Exercise Scales

This study’s purpose was to examine the psychometric properties of two new scales developed to quantitatively measure participants’ ownership in exercise classes and empowerment with respect to exercise. These two outcome measures will compliment Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT) grounded research to better understand participants’ exercise experiences. College exercise class participants (N = 414; Mage = 21.25 years; 67% female) completed the survey during the last two weeks of a semester. Measurement invariance was assessed by a two-group (i.e., male and female) confirmatory factor analysis and used Mplus’ cluster option to account for the data’s nested nature. Strong invariance was achieved, which provided psychometric evidence for the ownership and empowerment in exercise measures. Additional validity support was provided by the ownership and empowerment latent relationships aligning with the researchers a priori hypotheses. These results provide preliminary validity evidence for the Ownership in Exercise and Empowerment in Exercise Scales

Psychosocial Climates Differentially Predict 12- to 14-Year-Old Competitive Soccer Players’ Goal Orientations

Youth’s likelihood of participating in sport increases when they maintain a focus on enjoyment, learning, and effort (i.e., task goal orientation) rather than how they compare to others and norms (i.e., ego goal orientation). Achievement goal theory research consistently illustrates the significant influence of leader-created motivational climates on their participants’ goal orientation adoption. However, the influence of caring climate perceptions by highly competitive adolescent athletes on their goal orientation adoption has yet to be examined. Thus, this study assessed how competitive, adolescent soccer players’ perceptions of the climate as caring, task-, and ego-involving predicted their adoption of task and ego goal orientations. Players (N = 152, 62% female, 12–14 years of age) in the Olympic Development Program completed a survey that included measures of the caring climate, task-involving and ego-involving motivational climates, and task and ego goal orientations in soccer. Path analyses revealed males’ task goal orientation was significantly predicted by caring and task-involving climate perceptions. Females’ task goal orientation was significantly predicted by their task-involving climate perceptions. Ego goal orientation was significantly predicted by all athletes’ ego-involving climate perceptions. This is the first study to support the importance of fostering a high caring, as well as high task-involving, and low ego-involving climate when working with highly competitive adolescent athletes to keep their task goal orientation high. Research replicating this study is warranted to provide further support for these relationships longitudinally and across ages and sexes