Symeon P. Vlachopoulos

Development and Initial Validation of a Measure of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Exercise: The Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale

The development process and initial validation of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES) are presented in this study. The BPNES is a domain-specific self-report instrument designed to assess perceptions of the extent to which the innate needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are satisfied in exercise. Two separate samples of 508 and 504 participants were employed from private fitness centers for scale calibration and validation purposes, respectively. The results demonstrated an adequate factor structure, internal consistency, generalizability of the factor dimensionality across the calibration and the validation samples, discriminant validity and predictive validity; acceptable stability of the BPNES scores over 4 weeks also was found. In addition, the scale scores were found to be largely unaffected by socially desirable responding and specifically the tendency for impression management.

Motivation profiles in sport: a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract The present study examined the link between motivation profiles among adult sports participants and the consequences of enjoyment, effort, positive and negative affect, attitude toward sport participation, intention to continue sport participation, satisfaction, and frequency of attendance in sport. Two samples of participants (n = 590 and n = 555) completed the Sport Motivation Scale and a range of self-report measures to assess the outcome variables. Exploratory cluster analyses applied to Sample I and confirmatory cluster analysis applied to Sample 2 identified two clusters of sport participants. The first comprised participants with high scores on both nonself-determined and self-determined motives. The second comprised participants with high scores on self-determined motives but low scores on nonself-determined motives. Participants in the first cluster scored higher on all outcome variables. The results are discussed with reference to a more in-depth understanding of the motivation dynamics of sport participation based on Self-Determination Theory.

Ankle Sprain Injuries and Risk Factors in Amateur Soccer Players During a 2-Year Period

Background Although ankle sprains are common in soccer, the role of various risk factors in amateur soccer players is unclear. Purpose To identify the incidence of ankle sprain injuries, associated time loss of participation, and risk factors during two consecutive seasons in amateur players. Study Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods Of 336 athletes enrolled in the study, 312 male amateur soccer players were observed during a 2-year period. Ankle sprain injury incidents, participation time loss, injury mechanisms, ankle region injured, and other risk factors were recorded in games and practice sessions using questionnaires. Results During the study 208 ankle injuries were recorded, of which 139 were ankle sprains. These led to 975 sessions lost (on average, 7 lost sessions per injury). Most incidents (80.6%) were contact injuries, occurring mostly in defenders. Injury rates were equal between games and practice, while 61.1% of injuries were observed toward the end of each half of the game (P < .05). The injury incidence rate was higher during the first 2 months of the season as opposed to the last month (P < .05). Multinomial logistic regression showed that previous ankle sprain (P < .05) is a significant predictor of ankle sprain injury. Conclusion Ankle sprain injuries in amateur soccer players are primarily contact injuries, occurring mainly in defenders and during both games and practice. It appears that more injuries occur in players with previous ankle injury. Injury rates are higher toward the end of a game and chiefly occur during the first 2 months of the season.

Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis of the Flow State Scale in exercise

In this study, we examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the Flow State Scale using responses of exercise participants.This self-report questionnaire consists of nine subscales designed to assess flow in sport and physical activity. It was administered to 1231 aerobic dance exercise participants. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test three competing measurement models of the flow construct: a single-factor model, a nine-factor model and a hierarchical model positing a higher-order flow factor to explain the intercorrelations between the nine first-order factors. The single-factor model showed a poor fit to the data. The nine-factor model and the hierarchical model did not show an adequate fit to the data. All subscales of the Flow State Scale displayed acceptable internal consistency ( f > 0.70), with the exception of transformation of time ( f = 0.65). Collectively, the present results do not provide support for the tenability of the single-factor, nine-factor or hierarchical measurement models in an exercise setting.

The Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale: Measurement Invariance Over Gender

This study examined the extent of measurement invariance of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale responses (BPNES; Vlachopoulos & Michailidou, 2006) across male (n = 716) and female (n = 1,147) exercise participants. BPNES responses from exercise participants attending private fitness centers (n = 1,012) and community exercise programs (n = 851) were used. The 3-factor BPNES confirmatory factor analysis model, discriminant validity, and scale reliability were supported for both male and female participants separately. The multisample models supported the configural invariance, partial metric invariance, partial measurement error invariance, and partial scalar invariance of the BPNES responses across gender. Both male and female participants attached the same meaning to the constructs assessed by the BPNES items. The BPNES score invariance properties support tests of the needs universality hypothesis offered by self-determination theory across gender in exercise and meaningful comparison of the autonomy, competence, and relatedness construct latent means across gender.

The Basic Psychological Needs iN exercise scale: TraNslaTioN aNd evideNce for cross-culTural validiTy

Abstract The present study reports on the psychometric evaluation and cross‐cultural validity of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES; Vlachopoulos & Michailidou, 2006) translated from Greek into English. The data obtained from 346 British exercise participants supported the hypothesized 3‐factor structure, showed satisfactory internal reliability coefficients, and offered evidence for the factor concurrent, discriminant, and nomological validity of the translated scale. Cross‐cultural validity analyses across British and Greek participants supported configural invariance and partial metric, partial strong, and partial strict factorial invariance of the BPNES responses. The findings provide promising evidence for the validity and reliability of the translated BPNES and support the use of the scale in single‐culture and cross‐culture exercise‐related motivational research within the self‐determination theory framework

Achievement goal orientations and intrinsic motivation in a track and field event in school physical education

To date, substantial evidence exists that supports the health benefits associated with regular physical activity (Bouchard, Shephard & Stephens, 1994). Furthermore, school physical education has been recognised as being in a position to prepare children to make physical exercise a part of their way of life (Sallis & McKenzie, 1991). As Fox and giddle (1988), drawing from evidence accumulated from adults, suggest, an effective way of ’promoting long-term activity rests with the fostering and maintenance of intrinsic interest’ (p. 81). They go on to suggest that the two most important intrinsic elements for children

Reassessing the Structure of Enduring Leisure Involvement

Using data collected from U.S. and Greek respondents, we tested an alternate conceptualization of enduring leisure involvement where identity was considered a key driver of other affective and conative outcomes. Rather than existing on the same temporal plane, as has been the tradition in the leisure literature, we observed that identity was an antecedent of the other involvement facets. Our work provides a theoretical framework ground in microsociological approaches to identity for conceptualizing enduring involvement and other constructs that examine recreationists’ lasting ties with leisure (e.g., serious leisure, specialization, commitment) and their settings (e.g., sense of place, place identity).

Towards an understanding of children's motivation for physical activity: Achievement goal orientations, beliefs about sport success, and sport emotion in zimbabwean children

Abstract The study of childrens physical activity motivation is important for public health promotion. However, more needs to be known about physical activity determinants across different groups and cultures. This study investigated the achievement goal orientations, beliefs about sport success and emotional feelings concerning sport in 159 children from Zimbabwe. The study was based on research conducted in the USA and England to test the replicability of findings across cultures. Results showed that children endorsing a task (self-referenced) orientation of sport success were more likely to believe that sport success was the result of effort rather than ability, whereas the reverse was true for those endorsing the normatively referenced ego (social comparative) goal. Children high in task orientation, either alone or in combination with a high ego orientation, were found to display the most motivationally adaptive profile. The results were very similar to those reported in the USA and England and high...

Predicting students’ intention to smoke by theory of planned behaviour variables and parental influences across school grade levels

Differences were examined in Theory of Planned Behaviour determinants of students’ intention to smoke including parents’ attitudes towards smoking and parents’ current cigarette use among Greek students of different school grade levels. Students (N = 763) aged 10–18 years reported their attitudes towards smoking, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-identity and intention to smoke while their parents (N = 525) reported their attitudes towards smoking and their current cigarette use. All the TPB variables increased from lower to higher school grade level. Multi-sample path analyses showed that parents attitudes towards smoking positively predicted students’ intention to smoke only for elementary school children. Parents’ current cigarette use did not contribute significantly. Students’ attitudes, perceived behavioural control and self-identity predicted systematically intention to smoke in contrast to the subjective norm that did not contribute at all. Perceived behavioural control contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for senior high school students compared to the junior high school and elementary students. Self-identity contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for elementary compared to the junior high school students. The results of this study suggests that the determinants of smoking vary between early and late adolescence.