Sam Carr

Parental, peer, teacher, and sporting hero influence on the goal orientations of children in physical education

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between goal orientations and perceptions of the motivational climate emphasized by parents, peers, teachers and sporting heroes for children in physical education (PE). Additionally, gender differences in goal orientations and perceptions of the motivational climate were examined. A total of 266 male and female secondary school PE pupils from the United Kingdom completed a survey assessing personal goal orientations for PE and perceptions of the motivational climateemphasized by parents, peers, teachers and sporting heroes. Results indicated that goal orientations were related to these perceptions. Specifically,task orientation was related to perceptions of a learning-oriented climate from parents, peers and teachers and to perceptions of a mastery orientationinsporting heroes. In contrast, an ego orientation was related to perceptions of a comparison climate from parents, peers and teachers, and to perceptions of an ego orientation in sporting heroes. Results are discussed in terms of the implications that the influence of significant others might have for intervention efforts designed to enhance the quality of youngsters’ motivational development in PE.

The effect of motivational music on sub-maximal exercise

Abstract This study examined the effect of motivational music on a 20-min sub-maximal cycle task. Eighteen untrained student volunteers (10 males, 8 females) were required to partake in three experimental conditions: no music, oudeterous (non-motivational) music, and motivational music. Participants’ in-task affective states and rate of perceived exertion were assessed on rating scales during the trials and the distance traveled for each trial was recorded. In addition, participants’ attitudes towards the exercise experience were assessed on rating scales administered post-trial. The results of the study indicate that both motivational and oudeterous music can significantly increase distance traveled when compared to the control condition. However, no significant differences were observed between the two music conditions and the increased exercise intensity associated with musical accompaniments was not associated with an increased perception of effort. Both music conditions elicited increased in-task affect and generated equally positive post-task attitudes towards the exercise experience. No significant Gender×Trial interactions were identified for any of the dependent measures.

An examination of multiple goals in children's physical education: Motivational effects of goal profiles and the role of perceived climate in multiple goal development

Abstract In this paper, I present data from two studies that sought to examine multiple achievement goals in the context of childrens physical education (PE). Study 1 examined the links that multiple-goal profiles (i.e. mastery/performance-approach/performance-avoidance goals) for PE had with self-determined motivation, affective patterns and levels of extracurricular sporting activity in a sample of 193 Year 7 pupils. Results suggested that children endorsing high mastery/high performance-approach/high performance-avoidance, high mastery/high performance-approach/low performance-avoidance, or high mastery/ low performance-approach/low performance-avoidance profiles typically exhibited the most adaptive motivational responses. In contrast, children endorsing a low mastery/high performance-approach/high performance-avoidance profile typically experienced more maladaptive motivational outcomes. Study 2 examined the development of multiple achievement goals over two terms of PE in conjunction with retrospective perceptions of the motivational climate in the sample. The results of analysis of variance suggested that children exposed to a consistent high mastery/low performance climate experienced decreased performance-avoidance goals and maintained high levels of mastery goals for PE. In contrast, children exposed to a consistent low mastery/high performance climate experienced increased performance-avoidance goals and decreased mastery goals for PE.

Implications of attachment theory for sport and physical activity research: conceptual links with achievement goal and peer-relationship models

This paper attempted to integrate the developmental literature on attachment theory with the achievement goal and peer-relationship literature that has been central to sport and physical activity research in recent decades. Attachment theory, achievement goal models, and sport peer-relationship frameworks are briefly reviewed and the conceptual links between the theories are explored. It is contended that attachment theory offers conceptually useful avenues of research related to the constructs of achievement goals, perceived motivational climate, and experiences of peer relationships in sport-related contexts. A brief discussion regarding potential caveats related to measurement of mental representations of attachment in social and social-cognitive research is also forwarded.

Attachment in sport, exercise, and wellness

Introduction 1. Sketching the Origins and Assumptions of Attachment Theory 2. Contrasting Perspectives and Measurement in Adult Attachment Research 3. Attachment and Sport Motivation 4. Attachment and Group Cohesion in Sport 5. Attachment, Reactions to Stress, and Coping in Sport 6. Attachment and Social Relationships in Sport 7. Attachment, Exercise, and Health. Concluding Thoughts

Animals and attachment theory

The study of nonhuman animals in the context of attachment theory is steadily growing. This paper sought to pull together recent literature in order to review, summarize, and discuss (a) animals as attachment figures, (b) the conceptualization of attachment quality in human-animal bonds, and (c) the role of animals in assisting the development of human-human attachment.

Fostering secure attachment: experiences of animal companions in the foster home

ABSTRACT This study sought to use attachment theory as a lens through which to explore children’s relationships with animal companions in the context of long-term foster care. Inductive and deductive thematic analyses of longitudinal case study data from eight children and their foster families suggested (a) that children’s relationships with animal companions satisfied attachment-related functions in their own right and (b) that animal companions also helped to soften perceptions of foster caregivers, facilitating opportunities for the development of closeness. Animals in the foster home may therefore play an important part in helping children to find and develop secure, warm, and loving relationships.

Children's goal profiles and perceptions of the motivational climate:Interactive association with self-determined motivation and affective patterns in physical education.

Developing an understanding of youngster’s motivation for physical education (PE) is becoming increasingly important. This study examined the interactive effects of children’s multiple goal profiles and perceptions of the motivational climate on indices of self-determined motivation and affect in 429 students (201 boys, 228 girls; M age = 11.2, SD = .39) in northwest England. MANOVA results revealed a significant (p < .05) main effect for goal profiles and perceived motivational climate. Moreover, a significant interaction between goal profiles and perceived climate was found: Children with high mastery/high performance profiles had high levels of intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, regardless of the climate. In contrast, other profile groups (i.e., high mastery/low performance, low mastery/high performance, low mastery/low performance) were more likely to have high levels of intrinsic motivation and identified regulation from exposure to a perceived mastery climate. These results are discussed in terms of the contribution they appear to make to recent analyses of multiple goals.

Motivation, Educational Policy and Achievement: A Critical Perspective

Motivation, Educational Policy and Achievement seeks to theorise and critique current trends in education through the lens of key ideas from motivational theory. Its purpose is to argue that current educational trends on a macro level are a significant threat to the provision of classroom practices seeking to create an educational environment that motivational theorists would argue is best placed to develop motivational equality, optimal motivation, and wellbeing. Linking major contemporary theories of motivation to wider educational and political debate, this unique resource will bring about two major benefits: it will vocalise and mobilise the substantial research evidence from motivational theory in order to ensure that it contributes more explicitly to a critique of current neoliberal trends, and motivation researchers will be better positioned to move the theory forward in relation to what is happening in the real world of education. Areas covered include: •developing a more critical space in relation to the field of motivational psychology and contemporary educational policy; •linking motivational theory to education policy and broader social and political structures; •the neoliberal educational landscape; •an overview of achievement goal theory and self-determination theory. Motivation, Educational Policy and Achievement is a ‘wake-up call’ for educational practitioners and policy makers and essential reading for all advanced students and researchers in the fields of educational psychology and educational research.

‘I just can’t bear these procedures, I just want to be out there working with children’: an autoethnography on neoliberalism and youth sports charities in the UK

ABSTRACT This paper uses an autoethnography to recount my experiences with SportHelp, a UK youth sports charity. Using a layered account format, which jumps through time and space, I demonstrate the extent to which neoliberal values have influenced the continuity and change of SportHelp. This paper does not constitute an attack on the charity, its staff, nor the charity sector. The focus is on how the wider neoliberal context shapes how SportHelp operates. The findings are analysed in terms of Foucault’s (2008, The birth of biopolitics. Lectures at the Collége de France, 1978–79. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan) notion of governmentality by examining SportHelp’s monitoring and reporting practices, as well as the managers’ use of New Public Management discourse. The conclusion reflects on the extent to which neoliberal governmentality, though in some instances beneficial for SportHelp, ultimately does more harm than good. This paper, by offering an ‘insider’s view’, adds to the literature calling for a change in how policy makers and funders shape the current hypercompetitive socio-political landscape. Charities should be supported, not discouraged, to develop holistic programmes that move beyond ‘economic rationales’ and are capable of addressing the multifaceted needs of their service users.