José A. Cecchini

Effects of personal and social responsibility on fair play in sports and self-control in school-aged youths

Abstract In this study, we examined the impact of Hellisons (1995) model for the development of personal and social responsibility on fair play and self-control in youth. One hundred and eighty-six students from three public schools with a mean age of 13.6 years were assigned to one of three treatment groups: experimental group A (n=63), experimental group B (n=62), and a control group (n=61). During 10 one-hour sessions of beginners’ five-a-side soccer, group A went through five levels of the programme, whereas group B went through only four levels as the transferral phase was not introduced. Findings revealed that subsequent to the intervention programme, group A improved personal feedback, delayed gratification, self-control, and process self-regulation. Groups A and B showed an improvement in indicators of personal and social responsibility regarding enjoyment and sportsmanship and a decrease in variables related to the drive to win, rough play, contact fouls, and poor sportsmanship. No significant changes were observed in the control group.

Epstein's TARGET Framework and Motivational Climate in Sport: Effects of a Field-Based, Long-Term Intervention Program

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects that the manipulation of the motivational climate can produce on social factors, psychological mediators, motivation and behavioural consequences. 283 student-athletes with ages ranging from 14 to 18 years (M = 13,54 ± 1,31) completed a questionnaire that included the BPNES, the PLOC, the subscales cooperative learning and improvement of the PMCSQ-2, as well as persistence, effort and boredom subscales. Epsteins TARGET strategies were applied to the experimental group during 12 weeks by specially trained coaches. The repeated measures MANOVA showed significant changes in all variables in the experimental group in post-test 1. Furthermore, these changes were maintained in most variables six months after the intervention (post-test 2). No significant changes were observed in the control group. Finally, the results are discussed and future lines of intervention are proposed.

Self-Regulation, Cooperative Learning, and Academic Self-Efficacy: Interactions to Prevent School Failure

Learning to learn and learning to cooperate are two important goals for individuals. Moreover, self regulation has been identified as fundamental to prevent school failure. The goal of the present study was to assess the interactions between self-regulated learning, cooperative learning and academic self-efficacy in secondary education students experiencing cooperative learning as the main pedagogical approach for at least one school year. 2.513 secondary education students (1.308 males, 1.205 females), 12–17 years old (M = 13.85, SD = 1.29), enrolled in 17 different schools belonging to the National Network of Schools on Cooperative Learning in Spain agreed to participate. They all had experienced this pedagogical approach a minimum of one school year. Participants were asked to complete the cooperative learning questionnaire, the strategies to control the study questionnaire and the global academic self-efficacy questionnaire. Participants were grouped based on their perceptions on cooperative learning and self-regulated learning in their classes. A combination of hierarchical and κ-means cluster analyses was used. Results revealed a four-cluster solution: cluster one included students with low levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster two included students with high levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster three included students with high levels of cooperative learning, low levels of self-regulated learning and intermediate-low levels of academic self-efficacy, and, finally, cluster four included students with high levels of self-regulated learning, low levels of cooperative learning, and intermediate-high levels of academic self-efficacy. Self-regulated learning was found more influential than cooperative learning on students’ academic self-efficacy. In cooperative learning contexts students interact through different types of regulations: self, co, and shared. Educators should be aware of these interactions, symmetrical or asymmetrical, because they determine the quality and quantity of the students’ participation and achievements, and they are key elements to prevent school failure.

Connecting Athletes' Self-Perceptions and Metaperceptions of Competence: a Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

Abstract This study explored the relationships between athletes’ competence self-perceptions and metaperceptions. Two hundred and fifty one student-athletes (14.26 ± 1.89 years), members of twenty different teams (basketball, soccer) completed a questionnaire which included the Perception of Success Questionnaire, the Competence subscale of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, and modified versions of both questionnaires to assess athletes’ metaperceptions. Structural equation modelling analysis revealed that athletes’ task and ego metaperceptions positively predicted task and ego self-perceptions, respectively. Competence metaperceptions were strong predictors of competence selfperceptions, confirming the atypical metaperception formation in outcome-dependent contexts such as sport. Task and ego metaperceptions positively predicted athletes’ competence metaperceptions. How coaches value their athletes’ competence is more influential on what the athletes think of themselves than their own self-perceptions. Athletes’ ego and task metaperceptions influenced their competence metaperceptions (how coaches rate their competence). Therefore, athletes build their competence metaperceptions using all information available from their coaches. Finally, only taskself perfections positively predicted athletes’ competence self-perceptions.

Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess cooperative learning in educational contexts

Resumen: El objetivo del estudio fue elaborar y validar un instrumento que pudiera evaluar los elementos fundamentales del aprendizaje cooperativo, así como proporcionar un factor de cooperación. Participaron 11.202 estudiantes de educación primaria (5o-6o curso), secundaria y bachillerato (5.838 varones, 5.364 mujeres) de 68 centros educativos en 62 ciudades españolas repartidas por toda su geografía. Las edades oscilaron entre los 11 y los 18 años. El único requisito para participar era haber experimentado varias técnicas de aprendizaje cooperativo en los últimos 6 meses. Tras elaborar una primera versión y ser sometida sucesivamente a un juicio de expertos y un estudio piloto se realizó un segundo estudio en el que se sometió la versión definitiva a diferentes pruebas estadísticas. El Cuestionario de Aprendizaje Cooperativo está formado por cinco sub-escalas: Interacción Promotora, Interdependencia Positiva, Responsabilidad Individual, Procesamiento Grupal y Habilidades Sociales. Los análisis factoriales confirmatorios mostraron que todos los índices de fiabilidad eran aceptables, incluso bajo las condiciones más exigentes. El cuestionario mostró una adecuada validez convergente, discriminante y concurrente. Se confirma como un instrumento sencillo para evaluar todos los elementos fundamentales del aprendizaje cooperativo en estudiantes de primaria, secundaria y bachillerato y proporcionar un factor de cooperación global. Palabras clave: cooperación; primaria; secundaria; bachillerato. Title: Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess cooperative learning in educational contexts. Abstract: The goal of the present study was to design and validate an instrument to assess the basic elements of cooperative learning, as well as a cooperation index. 11.202 primary education (grades 5, 6), secondary education and baccalaureate students (5.838 males, 5.364 females) from 68 different schools in 62 cities all over Spain agreed to participate. The age range was 11-18 years. The participating students had experienced several cooperative learning techniques during the last six months. The first version of the questionnaire was assessed by a group of experts. A pilot study with 60 students similar to the target sample was conducted on the second version of the instrument. The final version underwent several statistical tests. The Cooperative Learning Questionnaire included five subscales: Promotive Interaction, Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Group Processing and Interpersonal skills. Factorial and confirmatory analysis showed that all reliability indices were acceptable, even under the most difficult conditions. The questionnaire showed adequate convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity. Results showed that it is an easy instrument to assess all the basic elements of cooperative learning in primary, secondary and baccalaureate students and obtain a global cooperation factor.

Diferencias en orientación de meta, motivación autodeterminada, inteligencia emocional y satisfacción con los resultados deportivos entre piragüistas expertos y novatos

La finalidad del presente estudio es analizar las diferencias en laorientacion de meta, la motivacion autodeterminada, la inteligencia emocionaly la satisfaccion con los resultados deportivos entre piraguistas novatosy expertos. La muestra estuvo formada por 347 piraguistas varones deun total de 30 paises, que se agruparon del siguiente modo en funcion desus resultados en campeonatos estatales: Novatos, ninguna medalla (n = 73),Expertos 1, de 1 a 3 medallas (n = 62), y Expertos 2, mas de 3 medallas (n= 79). Se realizo un MANCOVA que mostro diferencias estadisticamentesignificativas en todas las variables analizadas. Los deportistas expertos evidenciaronniveles mas altos en ambas orientaciones de meta (ego, tarea), enla motivacion autodeterminada (autonoma y controlada), en los niveles deinteligencia emocional (empatia, reconocimiento emocional y regulacion ycontrol emocional) y en las variables que explican la satisfaccion del deportistacuando alcanza determinados logros personales (exito normativo, experienciasde maestria y aprobacion social). Estos datos son consistentes conestudios anteriores realizados con deportistas de elite de diversas disciplinas.

Does Context, Practice or Competition Affect Female Athletes’ Achievement Goal Dominance, Goal Pursuit, Burnout and Motivation?

Abstract The goal of this study was to assess the effects of two different achievement sport contexts, practice and competition, on the motivational profile of professional/semi-professional athletes. Forty-eight Spanish national/international-level female athletes (basketball = 18; handball = 12; soccer = 11; volleyball = 7), mean age 25.14 ± 3.43 years, agreed to participate in the study. They completed a questionnaire, prior and after training and competition, to assess achievement goals, achievement goal dominance, goal pursuit, motivational climate, motivation, burnout and perceived recovery-exertion. Data analyses revealed that, both in practice and competition, these team-sport athletes overwhelmingly showed a strong mastery-approach achievement goal in dominance as well as in pursuit. A significant finding was that this group of national/international-level, professional/semi-professional athletes not only adopted a mastery-approach achievement goal, but they also actively pursued it. It is also remarkable that this profile remained stable at post-tests, even after a painful defeat in competition, which produced a significant negative effect on the athletes’ burnout (emotional and physical exhaustion and devaluation of sport participation) and self-determined motivation. As expected, the difference between total recovery and perceived exertion significantly increased after practice and competition. National/international-level team-sport professional/semi-professional female athletes held and pursue stable mastery-approach goal dominance.