Progression of motivation models in exercise science: Where we have been and where we are heading

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to highlight four progressions in the theoretical approaches to motivational models in exercise science. Our aim is not to address the efficacy of any given theoretical approach, as the other chapters in this section of the book provide detail in that domain. Neither is the aim of this chapter to put forth a new model of physical activity motivation. Rather, our aim is to highlight how and why the field is changing. We start the chapter by describing that the theoretical perspective driving most physical activity motivation research has been expectancy‐value models originating from social, sport, and education psychology. Following that, we present our perspectives on how and why the field is being invigorated by “new” perspectives, which are really just a reinvigoration of old ideas that got lost in translation amongst exercise science across the years. These progressions of theory include consideration for how a person’s context can impact their motivation (ecological models), that motivation is not a static onceoff phenomenon (temporal dynamic models), that motivation encompasses automatic processes as well as deliberative beliefs and values (dual process models), and that there are processes and factors that determine whether intention translates into behavior (action control models)