CAPTURING TEACHER BASIC NEEDS SATISFACTION: VALIDATION EVIDENCE FOR THE GREEK SCALE MEASURING PE TEACHERS’ BNS

According to self-determination theory, teachers’ basic needs satisfaction is essential for the quality of their motivation, teaching, and work behavior. Considering the lack of valid and reliable instruments measuring teachers’ basic needs satisfaction (for autonomy, competence and relatedness) within the Greek context, we evaluated the factorial validity and internal consistency for the Greek version of the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale for Teachers (BNSST; Longo et al., 2016). Standard back-translation procedures were followed. Focusing on Physical Education (PE) teachers, the validity of the measure was evaluated via two cross-sectional studies with samples of pre-service (n=109; study 1) and in-service (n=91; study 2) teachers. The psychometric properties of the instrument were established through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alphas, and latent variables’ associations with external criteria. In both studies, factor analyses results supported the construct validity of the 9-item, 3-correlated factors model, producing satisfactory goodness of fit indices, suggesting that the three needs are positively related with each other. Internal consistency analysis produced acceptable values for all the scales of the study. In line with theoretical assumptions and past research evidence, latent variables correlations with external criteria showed that basic needs satisfaction connects positively with their beneficence, cooperation willingness, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation. Furthermore, structural equation modeling revealed a positive connection between teachers’ general basic needs satisfaction and their autonomous motivation, work engagement, and work satisfaction, suggesting that the fulfillment of teacher basic needs can positively predict their well-being at work. The present findings suggest that the BNSST-GR has good psychometric properties and provide initial support for the instruments’ validity and reliability. Such measurements may prove useful in examining Greek teachers’ basic needs satisfaction in a variety of work-related contexts (e.g., teacher professional development).  Article visualizations

Effects of parental support and coach-initiated motivational climate on young athletes’ psychosocial behaviors and well-being

This study examined the effect of coach-initiated motivational climate and parental support on intrinsic motivation, enjoyment of sport participation, subjective vitality, sport-related violence, and academic achievement of youth soccer players. The second purpose was to examine if intrinsic motivation mediates the impact of coach-initiated climate and parental support on the above endogenous variables. Two measurements Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2) were conducted. In T1, 494 young soccer male athletes completed surveys of coach-created motivational climate, parental praise and understanding, intrinsic motivation, sport-related violence, vitality, sport enjoyment and Grade Point Average (GPA). After five months, 188 of those soccer athletes responded again to the same surveys (T2). In both measurements the findings suggest that perceived coach-initiated empowering climate and parental praise and understanding have indirect effects on sport-related violence, GPA, vitality and sport enjoyment through intrinsic motivation in sport.publishedVersio

Regional cerebral blood flow and cellular environment in subarachnoid hemorrhage: A thermal doppler flowmetry and microdialysis study

Background Cerebral microdialysis enables assessment of regional metabolic physiology and provides biomarkers for clinical correlation in critical conditions, such as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The aim of our current study was to investigate the correlation between regional cerebral blood flow and microdialysis parameters (glucose, lactate, glycerol, pyruvate concentrations, and lactate/pyruvate metabolic ratio) in patients with SAH. Materials and methods Twenty-one patients with SAH were enrolled in our retrospective study. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) based on thermal diffusion methodology, the thermal coefficient K, and microdialysis biochemical markers were recorded. The duration of the brain monitoring was 10 days. Results Microdialysis glucose concentration was inversely related to the cerebral temperature and to the L/P ratio. Furthermore, it was positively correlated to all other microdialysis parameters but glycerol. The K coefficient was strongly and positively correlated with the temperature and marginally with the CBF. The L/P ratio was positively correlated with glycerol, while it was inversely correlated with the CBF. Patients who died had elevated L/P ratio and K coefficient compared to the survivors in our series. Conclusions Thermal conductivity coefficient may change over time as cerebral injury progresses and tissue properties alter. These alterations were found to be associated with the microdialysis metabolite concentrations and the CBF itself. The microdialysis biochemical indices of cell stress and death (glycerol, L/P ratio) were positively related to each other, while the measured L/P metabolic ratio was higher among patients who died

Effects of parental support and coach-initiated motivational climate on young athletes’ psychosocial behaviors and well-being

This study examined the effect of coach-initiated motivational climate and parental support on intrinsic motivation, enjoyment of sport participation, subjective vitality, sport-related violence, and academic achievement of youth soccer players. The second purpose was to examine if intrinsic motivation mediates the impact of coach-initiated climate and parental support on the above endogenous variables. Two measurements Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2) were conducted. In T1, 494 young soccer male athletes completed surveys of coach-created motivational climate, parental praise and understanding, intrinsic motivation, sport-related violence, vitality, sport enjoyment and Grade Point Average (GPA). After five months, 188 of those soccer athletes responded again to the same surveys (T2). In both measurements the findings suggest that perceived coach-initiated empowering climate and parental praise and understanding have indirect effects on sport-related violence, GPA, vitality and sport enjoyment through intrinsic motivation in sport

Plasma leptin and adiponectin in COPD exacerbations: Associations with inflammatory biomarkers

Background: Various systemic inflammatory markers have been evaluated for their value in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Leptin and adiponectin have been linked to acute exacerbations and stable COPD. Objectives: To assess plasma leptin, adiponectin and their ratio in acute exacerbations of COPD and to study possible associations with inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: Plasma leptin, adiponectin and their ratio (L/A) and serum biomarkers of systemic inflammation C-reactive protein (CRP), Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were assessed at three time points (admission, resolution and stable phase - 8 weeks after resolution) in a selected cohort of 63 COPD patients hospitalized for acute exacerbations. Subjects with comorbidities related to adipose tissue hormones were meticulously excluded. Measurements and main results: All systemic inflammatory biomarkers, leptin and L/A ratio were elevated during admission compared to resolution and stable phase (mean L/A ratio 2.6 vs. 1.57 vs. 1.22, respectively; p < 0.0001), whereas adiponectin was elevated at resolution compared to admission. Log leptin, adiponectin and L/A ratio were significantly associated with variables of systemic inflammation, after proper adjustments, both on admission and in stable condition. In stepwise multiple linear regression models, IL-6 and TNF-alpha present the most significant associations with leptin, adiponectin and their ratio. Conclusions: Our data suggest that both leptin and adiponectin are associated with the systemic inflammatory process during exacerbations of COPD. The most significant associations seem to be those with IL-6 and TNF-alpha. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Physical education motivational climate, on the achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation of students: a multilevel approach

This study examined whether the perceived motivational climate was associated with students' achievement goals and intrinsic motivation, from a multilevel (i.e., individual- and school-level) perspective within the Physical Education context. The sample was composed of 9855 students aged 10-18 (M-age = 13.96 years; SDage = 1.97 years) who belong to 237 different teachers from seven European countries. We used measures for teacher's motivational climate, achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation. After testing for cross-country invariance, results from the mediated structural equation model showed that partial mediation was the most suitable solution. Predictions from the accepted model supported theoretical predictions, suggesting a strong positive mediating role of task orientation between achievement goals and intrinsic motivation, while the role of ego orientation remained more ambiguous. Our findings also highlight the relevance of students' individual experiences in shaping their perception of the emphasised motivational climate, as well as reveal an additive effect in the prediction from task orientation to intrinsic motivation due to cluster belongingness. We discuss these results with other variables that might affect students' perceptions such as teacher-student relationship and motivational contagion and encourage future research to keep studying the construction of the students' perception of the teacher's emphasised motivational climate from a multilevel perspective

Economic status as a predictor of motivational and affective experiences in Physical Education and physical activity intentions: a cross-sectional study in six European countries

Lower economic status (ES) is associated with a less adaptive experience of school and physical activity. However, empirical evidence supporting the detrimental association of lower ES on the affective and motivational experience in Physical Education (PE) remains scarce. Using a large sample (n = 10392) of adolescents from six countries (i.e., Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England, Turkey), this cross-sectional study tested whether students’ ES was associated with the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs in PE, and in turn with motivational and affective outcomes in PE and their out-of-school physical activity intention. We further explored whether gender moderated the abovementioned relationship. Multigroup structural equation modelling showed that, in five of six countries (i.e., Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England), a lower ES was associated with lower basic needs satisfaction (β = .10, p < .001), which in turn was associated with lower enjoyment (β = .75, p < .001), lower autonomous motivation (β = .83, p < .001), and weaker out-of-school physical activity intention (β = .36, p < .001), higher displeasure (β = -.51, p < .001), higher controlled motivation (β = -19, p < .001) and stronger amotivation in PE (β = -.28, p < .001). Exploratory analyses suggested that the relationship between lower ES and the less adaptative outcomes was amplified among girls. At the crossroad between psychology and sociology, this study provides new insights into how family lower ES and gender might interact to predict less adaptative motivational and affective experiences and outcomes in PE