Individuality, Belonging, and Children's Self Concepts: A Motivational Spiral Model of Self‐Evaluation, Performance, and Participation in Physical Activities

Abstract

Problématique . Ce projet avait pour objectif d'étudier les fondements sociaux et personnels des images de soi des enfants en rapport avec les activités physiques selon le modèle de la motivation de l'apprentissage en spirale. Ce modèle rapproche l'image de soi des enfants, leurs sentiments, leurs choix, leurs stratégies de résolution de problèmes et leurs performances, tout ce qui peut stimuler et contraindre les motivations des enfants à participer à des activités physiques dans les années à venir. Méthode . La première étude a porté sur de jeunes enfants ( N = 40. Age: m = 6,3; σ = 1,1), mais aussi sur des moins jeunes ( N = 36. Age : m = 10,2; σ = 1,2). La seconde concernait des enfants de 4 à 11 ans ( N = 56. Age : m = 8; σ = 2,1). Résultats . Dans la première étude, les bases personnelles et sociales des images de soi variaient selon l'âge et les images des soi n'étaient pas nécessairement en rapport avec les performances observées. Dans la deuxième étude, les images de soi et les sentiments relatifs aux activités incitaient à une participation ultérieure fournissant aux enfants des occasions de développer leurs capacités et leur stratégies cognitives. Conclusion . Les résultats confirment les fondements hypothétiques personnels et sociaux des images de soi, ce qui est essentiel dans le modèle de l'apprentissage en spirale des motivations des enfants. Il en ressort qu'il existe des pistes communes et diversifiées qui conduisent les enfants à s'adonner à des activités physiques, ce qui a des retombées importantes sur les programmes cliniques et éducatifs concernant la santé et le bien-être des enfants.This project examined the personal and social bases of children's self concepts about movement within the Motivational Spiral Model. The model relates children's self concepts, feelings, choices, task strategies, and performance that feed forward to support and constrain children's motivations to participate in physical movement in subsequent years. Study 1 was with younger ( N = 40, age 6.3, SD 1.1 years) and older children ( N = 36, age 10.2, SD 1.2 years). Study 2 was with 4-to 11-year-old children ( N = 56, age 8.0, SD 2.1). In Study 1, personal and social bases of self concepts varied for younger and older children, and their self concepts were not necessarily associated with actual performance. In Study 2, children's self concepts and feelings about movement feed forward to subsequent participation providing children with opportunities to develop their task strategies and skills. Results support the proposed personal and social bases to self concepts that are central to the Motivational Spiral Model. The findings suggest common and diverse pathways to children's participation in physical activities, that have important applications in educational and clinical programmes for children's health and well-being.

‘I am–we are’: personal and social pathways to further study, work and family life

“…For instance, young people who consider themselves and their social group as unique in this context, with strong personal and group self concepts about skills and abilities, are more inclined to plan further study at technical colleges and universities. In addition, the results add weight to recent findings on the role of identity in motivation and extends our ideas beyond standard expectancy-value models of motivation (see Bornholt and Piccolo 2005;Bornholt and Wilson 2007;Eccles and Wigfield 2002;Wigfield and Eccles 2000).…”

“…We therefore needed to include two other common aspects of mood and esteem to rule them out as explanations for young people's plans (see Baum 1997; also Ryan and Deci 2006;Harter 1998). Instead, the main personal motivations in this project were aspects of identity that extend the self concepts and task values in expectancy-value models of young people's motivation to participate in common activities (e.g., Bornholt 2000Bornholt , 2001Bornholt and Wilson 2007;Eccles and Wigfield 2002;Harter 1998; see Bornholt and Piccolo 2005 on identity, self-concept and participation over time). We added two layers in our conceptualization of motivation-social-relational motivations and motivations in relation to the social group.…”

“…Sound materials to indicate self concepts and task values were developed for children and young adults, based on extensive work by Eccles and colleagues (e.g., Bornholt 2001Bornholt , 2005bEccles and Wigfield 2002). Aspects of identity (individuality, belonging, place) were developed from the ASK-KIDS Inventory for children and the ASK-Q Inventory for adolescents and adults (Bornholt 2000(Bornholt , 2005aGientzotis and Bornholt 2005;Bornholt and Piccolo 2005).…”

Self-Concepts and Parental Reports on Children’s Social Skills at Home

“…Conventional standards were used for statistical significance (p<.05), and effect sizes were calculated by hand (difference between means divided by the pooled standard deviation). An effect size of 0.4 of sd (or more), and correlations r > .30 were considered meaningful (Bornholt, 1997(Bornholt, , 2005Bornholt & Ingram, 2001;Bornholt & Piccolo, 2005).…”

“…The classic work of William James from 1890 related the self-concept to behaviour -as an interpretation of experiences, where self concepts in turn support expectations of events. For instance, Bornholt and Piccolo (2005) suggest spiralling links between children's self-concepts and behaviours that motivate participation in learning and social activities. This paper takes up the implications for professionals who work with children on social behaviours: we need to consider the children's self-concepts about social behaviours as an addition to their actual behaviour and experiences.…”