Ryan & Connell (1989) have demonstrated that different types of behavioural regulation can be located on a continuum of perceived autonomy or perceived locus of causality. The present study applied their formulation in the context of school physical education (PE) and examined the relationships of perceived autonomy, perceived competence and goal orientations with intrinsic interest across two PE activities. School students aged 12-14 years (N = 85) completed an adapted version of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Ryan & Connell, 1989) and measures of perceived competence and intrinsic interest separately for two PE activities. They also completed the British version of the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Duda, Fox, Biddle & Armstrong, 1992). Students appeared to be differentially motivated for the two activities due to different perceptions of autonomy. Structural equation modelling analysis showed that perceived autonomy and task orientation had direct effects on intrinsic interest for both the activities. Perceived competence, however, was positively associated with intrinsic interest only for one of the activities. The implications of the results for the practice of physical education are discussed.

No abstract

Little is known about possible determinants of children's participation in physical activity. In particular, the role of adults has not been clearly identified. This study investigated contemporary social cognitive variables, in combination with likely adult influence factors, in predicting intended and self-reported vigorous physical activity for young adolescents. A questionnaire was administered to 147 boys and girls ages 13-14. Questions assessed physical activity levels, including vigorous activity, intention to take part in sports or vigorous physical activity, social cognitive variables, and adult encouragement of physical activity. A structural equation modeling analysis showed a good fit for a model in which vigorous physical activity was predicted by direct paths from adult encouragement and intention, with adult encouragement also predicting vigorous activity indirectly through perceived competence. Intention itself was predicted by adult encouragement and a task achievement goal orientation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the motivational effects of two different teaching styles in one sport activity. One class of 24 girls was taught track and field for 10 weeks, each lesson being taught with either a direct (practice) or a differentiated (inclusion) teaching style. After each lesson the girls completed self-report measures of intrinsic motivation and goal involvement. On course completion, 8 girls were interviewed to assess their reactions to the course. ANOVA showed that students reporting higher levels of competence, autonomy, and task orientation had higher intrinsic motivation scores throughout the course. However, teaching style was also found to have an independent effect; the differentiated style was associated with higher levels of intrinsic motivation and task goal involvement and lower levels of work avoidance involvement. A differentiated teaching style can positively influence young girls’ reactions to a sports activity independently of perceptions of goal orientations, autonomy, and competence.

Research has shown that dispositional achievement goal orientations have important effects on motivation, affect and behaviour in sport and physical activity. However, rather less is known about the relationship between perceived ethos, or climate, ofphysical education (P.E.) classes and subsequent motivation. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the psychometric properties ofan inventory assessing P.E. class climate and the relationship of subscales of the inventory with intrinsic motivation. Second order factor analysis revealed class climate dimensions of 'mastery' and 'performance', confirming prior research. The mastery dimension scores were found to significantly enhance the prediction ofintrinsic motivation beyond that accounted for by perceived competence, whereas this was not the case for performance climate scores. MANOVA showed that children perceiving their P.E. class to be high in both mastery and performance climate reported greater intrinsic motivation and perceived competence.Recently, sport psychologists have applied social-cognitive theories of achievement motivation to the area of youth sport in the pursuit of further understanding children's sport motivation (Roberts, 1993). Surprisingly, however, physical education (P.E.) has largely been ignored as an area for the study of motivation. The investigation of motivational issues in physical education is crucial for at least two reasons. First, the range of participants' capacity for physical performance and motivation is likely to be far broader than in volunteer youth sport. Second, it is acknowledged that physical education has the potential to assist individuals in the development of active lifestyles and thus contribute significantly to individual and public health (Haywood, 1991).One of the approaches taken in educational and youth sport motivational research is based on goal-perspective These theories adopt the principle that the purpose of goal-directed behaviour in achievement settings is the demonstration of competence. However, the way that competence can be demonstrated is dependent on the standards individuals use to evaluate their performance. When the basis for performance evaluation is normative, that is when success is defined in comparison with the performance of others, then an 'ego' or 'performance' goal orientation is adopted. Alternatively, when performance evaluation is self-referenced, that is personal improvement constitutes success, then a 'task' or 'mastery' goal orientation is adopted. The terms task and ego orientation (Nicholls, 1989) will be used here to refer to these two main dispositional goal orientations adopted in school achievement.