Chee Keng John Wang

Motivation for physical activity in young people: Entity and incremental beliefs about athletic ability

Three studies are reported of children and youth aged 11–19 years (n = 3478) examining the nature of beliefs about athletic ability. Drawing on related research in academic, moral and stereotyping domains, development of a psychometric instrument assessing athletic ability beliefs is detailed. Support was found for a multidimensional hierarchical structure that is invariant across age and gender. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a structure comprising two higher-order factors of entity and incremental beliefs underpinned by beliefs that athletic ability is stable and a gift (entity), and is open to improvement and can be developed through learning (incremental). Incremental beliefs, indirectly through a task goal orientation, and entity beliefs directly, predicted self-reported amotivation towards physical education and sport. On the other hand, enjoyment of physical activity in youth was predicted directly by task orientation and incremental beliefs. Predictions concerning the moderating role of perceived competence were not supported. Our findings highlight the importance of ability beliefs and goals in understanding the determinants of physical activity in children and youth.

Passion and Intrinsic Motivation in Digital Gaming

Digital gaming is fast becoming a favorite activity all over the world. Yet very few studies have examined the underlying motivational processes involved in digital gaming. One motivational force that receives little attention in psychology is passion, which could help us understand the motivation of gamers. The purpose of the present study was to identify subgroups of young people with distinctive passion profiles on self-determined regulations, flow dispositions, affect, and engagement time in gaming. One hundred fifty-five students from two secondary schools in Singapore participated in the survey. There were 134 males and 8 females (13 unspecified). The participants completed a questionnaire to measure harmonious passion (HP), obsessive passion (OP), perceived locus of causality, disposition flow, positive and negative affects, and engagement time in gaming. Cluster analysis found three clusters with distinct passion profiles. The first cluster had an average HP/OP profile, the second cluster had a low HP/OP profile, and the third cluster had a high HP/OP profile. The three clusters displayed different levels of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Cluster analysis, as this study shows, is useful in identifying groups of gamers with different passion profiles. It has helped us gain a deeper understanding of motivation in digital gaming.

Goal orientations, self-determination and pupils' discipline in physical education

In this study, we examined the patterns of goal orientations, perceived competence, reasons for behaving well and self-reported discipline in school physical education among 511 pupils from years 8 and 9 (mean age 14.2 years). Cluster analyses were conducted on two randomly split subsamples to identify homogeneous groups of pupils on these measures of achievement motivation and discipline. Three meaningful clusters emerged for the first subsample, which were then cross-validated for the second subsample. One group of pupils revealed low scores on task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of self-determination about their behaviour in lessons. These perceptions were related to lower ratings of discipline in physical education than pupils who scored more highly on these variables. The highest discipline scores were reported by pupils with high task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of autonomy. The results are useful for teachers and other physical activity leaders in enhancing motivation and disciplined behaviour in young people. Promoting more self-determined reasons for being disciplined, for example, could lead to more orderly classes.

College students’ motivation and learning strategies profiles and academic achievement: a self-determination theory approach

The development of effective self-regulated learning strategies is of interest to educationalists. In this paper, we examine inherent individual difference in self-regulated learning based on Motivated Learning for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) using the cluster analytic approach and examine cluster difference in terms of self-determination theory related variables. The sample of the study consisted of 238 junior college students from 12 intact classes. Two adaptive clusters and two maladaptive clusters were uncovered based on the MLSQ, with the adaptive clusters showing better academic grades. Results from the one-way MANOVA showed that the four clusters differed significantly in terms of their needs satisfaction, behavioural regulations, enjoyment, effort and value. The findings supported the importance of needs satisfaction in the development of self-regulated learning behaviour.

Academic self-concept: A cross-sectional study of grade and gender differences in a Singapore secondary school

Many studies support the existence of a significant decline in students’ academic self-concept from early to midadolescence. In comparison, the findings on gender effect are less conclusive. This study aimed to determine whether there is any grade or gender effect on adolescents’ academic self-concept in the Singapore context. Specifically, the cross-sectional study was conducted with Secondary 1, 2 and 3 students (N = 656) in a government co-educational school. The results established a significant main effect according to grade, with Secondary 3 students having significantly lower academic self-concept (scale and subscales) than Secondary 1 and 2 students. In addition, there was a significant main effect for gender, with female students having significantly higher perceived academic effort (academic self-concept subscale) than their male counterparts.

Understanding motivation in internet gaming among Singaporean youth: The role of passion

This study examined the motivation of young people in internet gaming using the dualistic model of passion. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between the two types of passion: obsessive and harmonious passion, behavioral regulations, and flow. A total of 1074 male secondary school students from Singapore took part in the study. The results of the path analysis showed that external, introjected, and identified regulations positively predicted obsessive passion, while harmonious passion was predicted by identified and intrinsic regulations. Flow in digital gaming was predicted directly by harmonious passion, as well as indirectly through intrinsic regulation. This study supports the proposed dualistic model of passion in explaining young peoples motivation in internet gaming.

Chinese students' motivation in physical activity: Goal profile analysis using Nicholl's achievement goal theory

Abstract One of the contributing factors for the increased obesity rate in China is the reduction of physical activity and exercise. With this as the backdrop, understanding Chinese students’ motivation toward physical education (PE) and physical activity is a worthy area of study. The purpose of this study was to examine Chinese students’ motivation for physical activity using Nicholls (1989) achievement goal approach. A total of 984 Chinese students from six schools in mainland China participated in the survey measuring achievement goals, motivational regulation, perceived competence, attitudes toward PE, and physical activity. Using cluster analysis, four goal profiles were found. Three clusters were similar to the “highly motivated,” “moderately motivated,” and “lowly motivated” clusters found in previous study (Wang, Chatzisarantis, Spray, & Biddle, 2002). One additional cluster with a “moderate task/moderate ego/high perceived competence” goal profile (Cluster 2) consisted of 39.6% of the sample and was unique to the Chinese sample. This cluster was found to have the lowest external regulation and high identified regulation and intrinsic motivation; they also had the most positive attitudes toward PE and reported highest participation in physical activity. There were gender differences among the four goal profiles. The majority of the Chinese students did not have an ideal goal profile adaptive for long term motivation. Therefore, there is a need for intervention to increase the task orientation and perceived competence of Chinese students in PE

Patriotism and National Education: Perceptions of trainee teachers in Singapore

The effective teaching of national education requires from the teacher a sense of commitment and personal conviction. The teacher has to demonstrate confidence in what is said and taught in class and, more importantly, through his or her personal values and convictions. In other words, the teacher is required to be patriotic. This paper examines the different types of patriotism among trainee teachers in Singapore, and how these types of patriotism influence their perceptions of citizenship values, the importance of national education, and the extent to which national education is viewed as government propaganda. The results revealed four homogenous clusters that differed significantly in terms of their perceptions.

Sports Participation and Moral Development Outcomes: Examination of Validity and Reliability of the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale

The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale (PABSS) developed by Kavussanu and Boardley [13] to measure moral behaviors in Singapores context. A total of 574 (boys = 296, girls = 278) school team athletes were recruited for the study. Results showed that internal reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity of the PABSS were supported. Evidence of configural, metric and scalar invariance of the PABSS across school and gender groups were also found. The findings suggest that the PABSS can be used to measure prosocial and antisocial behaviors among school athletes in Singapore.

Impacts of talent development environments on athlete burnout: a self-determination perspective

ABSTRACT Guided by Deci and Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory, this survey study aimed to examine the effects of the talent development environmental factors on athlete burnout. Talented adolescent athletes (n = 691) filled out a survey form measuring the talent development environmental factors, needs satisfaction and burnout. The findings showed that three talent environmental factors (i.e., long-term development focus, holistic quality preparation and communication) were negative predictors of burnout via needs satisfaction. It was concluded that the three talent development environmental factors may be important for facilitating athletes’ needs satisfaction and preventing burnout.