Athanasios Papaioannou

Causal relationships of sport and exercise involvement with goal orientations, perceived competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education: A longitudinal study

Abstract Little information exists about the causal relationships of sport and exercise participation with goal orientations, perceived athletic competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education. A longitudinal study was conducted involving 882 Greek students who completed questionnaires on three occasions: 3 – 5 weeks into the academic year, 3 – 6 weeks before the end of the academic year, and 7 months later. The data were analysed using structural equation models, controlling for age. Task orientation and intrinsic motivation in physical education at the beginning of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later. Perceived athletic competence both at the beginning and end of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later, while ego orientation did not predict sport and exercise involvement at either time. Previous sport and exercise participation had positive effects on task orientation and perceived athletic competence 3 – 6 weeks before the end of the academic year and predicted all cognitive-affective constructs 7 months later. These results imply that the cultivation of task orientation, intrinsic motivation in physical education and perceived athletic competence will help to promote sport and exercise participation in adolescence.

Causal ordering of physical self-concept and exercise behavior : reciprocal effects model and the influence of physical education teachers

Does prior physical self-concept influence subsequent exercise behavior? On the basis of a large sample of physical education classes (2,786 students, 200 classes, 67 teachers) collected early (Time 1) and late (Time 2) in the school year, findings support a reciprocal effects model in which prior physical self-concept and exercise behavior both influence subsequent physical self-concept and exercise behavior. Whereas variables from the theory of planned behavior (TOPB; behavioral intentions, perceived behavioral control, exercise attitudes) also contributed to the prediction of subsequent exercise behavior, the effect of prior physical self-concept was significant for subsequent outcomes after controlling these variables, suggesting that the TOPB should be supplemented with self-concept measures. On the basis of multilevel models, there were systematic differences in these variables for students taught by different teachers that generalized over time and across different classes taught by the same teacher. Support for the reciprocal effects model was robust.

Motivational constructs in Greek physical education classes: Factor structure, gender and age effects in a nationally representative longitudinal sample

Abstract This study evaluates the construct validity of a profile of 11 motivational constructs (Task and Ego Orientation, Task‐ and Ego‐involving Climates; Intrinsic Motivation Enjoyment; Intrinsic Motivation Effort; Exercise Attitudes; Exercise Intentions; Perceived Behavioral Control; Actual Exercise Behavior; and Physical Self‐concept) appropriate for applied sport/exercise settings. A nationally representative sample of Greek students (2786, 50% males) from 200 physical education classes at different levels of schooling (29% upper primary, 36% middle, and 35% high school) completed the same battery of tests at the start and end of the school year. Despite the brevity of some of the measures (11 scales, 46 items) dictated by the large scale of the study, reliability estimates were mostly adequate (Md α = .82 at time 1, .86 at time 2).Confirmatory factor analyses of the combined set of time 1 and time 2 responses provided an excellent fit to the data (RMSEA = .034) and moderate test‐retest correlations (.37 to .64; Md = .55). Most outcomes decreased with age. Whereas boys had higher scores on most constructs, there were no gender differences for Task Orientation and Task‐involving Climate, and girls had slightly more positive attitudes toward exercise. The psychometric results and patterns of relations among constructs provide good support for the construct validity of the measures

Combined effect of goal setting and self-talk in performance of a soccer-shooting task.

To examine the combined effect of goal setting and self-talk, 41 professional and semiprofessional soccer players from four different teams were tested on a soccer-shooting task. Teams were assigned to one of four conditions: (a) self-talk, (b) goal setting, (c) goal setting plus self-talk, and (d) do your best control. Subjects performed one baseline measurement and three experimental sessions. Analysis showed that performance, compared to the do your best condition, in the combined condition is immediately enhanced, whereas self-talk and goal-setting effects were significant from Session 3. No significant differences in performance were observed among experimental groups, except in Session 2, during which the combined group scored significantly better than the goal-setting group. It seems that, whereas both goal setting and self-talk are effective in enhancing performance, some advantage may be derived from a combined intervention. Findings are discussed in the perspective of past research efforts on goal setting and self-talk.

Physical Education, Positivism, and Optimistic Claims From Achievement Goal Theorists: A Response to Pringle (2000)

In a recent issue of Quest, Pringle (2000) asserts a number of criticisms of the achievement goal approach to motivation and claims that conclusions drawn by researchers in this field are “overly optimistic.” In this response, we sugest that Pringles paper is marked by a limited review of the literature and many erroneous conclusions. Several issues of contention are discussed, and it is proposed that claims of achievement goal theorists are rightly optimistic. In particular, the assertions that the achievement goal area of inquiry is deconrextualized and reductionistic are challenged. It is also argued that the championing of the interpretivist perspective for the study of motivational processes rellected in the Pringle article is inherently biased. In contrast, we suggest that there is not one correct methodology or theoretical perspective for understanding and fostering motivation of young people in physical education and that the achievement goal framework has much to offer with respect to this question.

Motivational climate, beliefs about the bases of success, and sportsmanship behaviors of professional basketball athletes

Professional basketball players (n = 76 men and n = 41 women) completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, an early version of the Multidimensional Sportsmanship Orientations Scale, and a measure of beliefs about the bases for success. The perception of mastery-oriented climate scales were positively associated with the belief that success is due to hard work and to reports of sportsmanship behaviors. The perception of performance-oriented climate scales were positively linked with the beliefs that success is caused by deception and high ability. Most relationships reflected individual differences in perceived motivational climate of athletes within each team.