Effects of Participation in a Summer Sports Camp on At-Risk Boys:A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

High-School Students’ Continuous Engagement in Taekwondo Activity

“…Consistent with the theoretical perspective of SDT, the results of the current study indicated the three psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness, had a significant association with intrinsic motivation, which in turn contributed to the continuous engagement in Taekwondo activity. The findings demonstrated that, if the students meet their psychological needs in Taekwondo training environments, it can lead to positive, sustainable behavior such as reengagement in Taekwondo activity through the internalization of intrinsic motivation facilitating positive emotion, active attitude, and high concentration (Yang, 2014). The findings of the present study are noteworthy compared to those found in previous literature utilizing adolescent populations in physical activity settings (Chicote-López et al, 2018).…”

“…A large number of empirical studies have supported the fact the satisfied experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are likely to facilitate positive outcomes such as persistence of physical activity and exercise through the intercession of internal stimuli (e.g., enjoyment, challenge, and satisfaction) (Standage et al, 2005;Sun & Chen, 2010;Vasconcellos et al, 2020). Specifically, Yang (2014) found that positive perceptions of basic psychological needs could contribute to increased physical endurance through the development of more self-determined motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation) among adolescents participating in a summer sports camp. Consistent with the previous research, the findings of this study pointed out that the positive relationship between the fulfillment of three psychological needs and Taekwondo activity continuity could be remarkably carried by the mediation role of intrinsic motivation.…”

“…Introjected regulation of motivation, less selfdetermined motivation, denotes that the impetus for participating in an activity derives from self-imposed sanctions such as shame, guilt, or pride. External regulation of motivation, the least self-determined motivation, implies that the behavior for an activity stems from an external contingency such as praise and reward or punishment (Sun & Chen, 2010;Yang, 2014). According to the principle of SDT, it is typically recognized that intrinsic motivation is associated with positive outcomes in physical, affective, and social dimensions, whereas external motivation is not.…”