Influence of perceived motivational climate on achievement goals in physical education: a structural equation mixture modeling analysis

Multidimensional Motivational Climate Questionnaire in Physical Education at the Situational Level of Generality (MUMOC-PES)

The main aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of a new MUltidimensional MOtivational Climate questionnaire in Physical Education (PE) at the Situational level of generality (MUMOC-PES), capturing four dimensions of empowering (autonomy support, task-involvement, relatedness support, structure) and three dimensions of disempowering (controlling, relatedness thwarting, ego-involvement) climate. Nine hundred and fifty-six adolescent students completed the new measure alongside measures of mastery and performance approach/avoidance climate and satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the MUMOC-PES. Student satisfaction in PE corresponded positively to empowering and negatively to disempowering climate dimensions. Controlling for age, gender and within-class individual differences in perceived empowering and disempowering dimensions, class average scores on perceived empowering climate had significant effects on student satisfaction, implying predictive validity for the MUMOC-PES. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) suggested that perceived autonomy support and relatedness thwarting had direct positive and negative effects on satisfaction respectively. Moreover, effects of perceived structure and thwarting relationships on satisfaction were mediated through a mastery climate construct capturing the linkage between perception and mastery goal. The results are discussed in relation to existing measures and literature on motivational climate and the future use of MUMOC-PES in research and PE teachers' training.

Impact of Applying Information and Communication Technology Tools in Physical Education Classes

The authors of the present study explored how ICT devices used in P.E. lessons determine psychomotor performance, perceived motivational climate, and motivation. The students were allowed to use ICT devices (smartphone, webpages, Facebook) during a four-week intervention. In the course of the research project aimed to assess the impact of the application of ICT devices on performance and motivation, the participants were divided into two test groups and one control group. The sample consisted of secondary school students including 21 males and 64 females with the Mage = 16.72 years. The results showed that in groups where ICT devices were used, performance (p = 0.04) and task orientation (p = 0.00) significantly improved. Meanwhile, in the group in which ICT devices were not used, the intervention resulted in improved performance (p = 0.00) and by the end of the project, this trend was coupled with increased Ego orientation (p = 0.00) and higher rate of amotivation (p = 0.04). It can be concluded that the use of ICT tools has a positive impact on performance and motivation.

Age and Gender Differences in Achievement Goal Orientations in Relation to Physical Activity

Our aim in the study was to examine age and gender differences in achievement goal orientations and their impact on self-reported persistence toward physical activities of middle school, high school, and college students. A total of 1254 students from four middle schools, two high schools, and one university participated in this study. Multiple regression analyses revealed that age, as a continuous variable, had a significant and positive effect on students' mastery-approach goals, performance-approach goals, mastery-avoidance goals, and their persistence toward physical activities. In contrast, the endorsement of performance-avoidance goals was negatively related to students' age. However, no significant gender differences or age-by-gender interactions were found for the four achievement goals. These findings suggest that future investigators should consider age (vs. grade) when examining maturational differences in young people's achievement goal orientation in physical activity settings.

Students’ Performance in Physical Education: The Role of Differential Achievement Goals and Self-Regulated Learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between differential achievement goals and self-regulated learning, as well as motivational mechanisms’ consequences for performance in physical education. This was done by using the 2 × 2 achievement goals framework, and the cyclical model for self-regulated learning. The participants (N = 571, 51.7% girls) were physical education students in grades 11–13 from two upper secondary schools in Norway. A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted, and data were analysed with a multiple-regression-based structural equation model. The modified structural model yielded an adequate fit (X2 = [df = 124] 429.79, p < 0.01; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.93), and results revealed that achievement goals have consequences for students’ self-regulation in physical education. More specifically, mastery goals have a positive association with self-regulation, whereas performance avoidance is found to have a negative association. Further, the results support claims that self-regulated learning plays a role in students’ performance. Finally, the model showed that self-regulation mediates the relationship between mastery approach goals and performance avoidance goals in relation to performance.

The 2 × 2 Achievement Goals in Sport and Physical Activity Contexts: A Meta-Analytic Test of Context, Gender, Culture, and Socioeconomic Status Differences and Analysis of Motivations, Regulations, Affect, Effort, and Physical Activity Correlates

Approach-avoidance achievement goals are studied extensively in the context of competitive sports and physical activity, including leisure and physical education. Building upon past meta-analyses, the purpose of this quantitative review was to provide basic descriptive data, estimated means for testing of several research questions (i.e., context, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status), and meta-analyzing outcome correlates (i.e., self-determination constructs, affect, effort, and physical activity). A total of 116 studies up to 1 December 2018, met inclusion criteria. These 116 studies, totaling a sample size of 43,133 participants (M sample size = 347.85 + 359.36), from 22 countries with 92.7% of samples, are drawn from participants less than 30 years of mean age. From the 116 unique studies, nearly half (49.6%) were from a sport context and the rest from leisure-time physical activity (PA) (19.4%) and physical education (PE) (31.0%) contexts. A number of different analyses were conducted to examine our research questions. Support was found for several of our research questions: The mastery-approach goal was endorsed more than all the other goals, while sport participants endorsed the performance-approach goal more than PA and PE groups; females endorsed the mastery-avoidance goal more than males; more culturally individualistic countries endorsed the mastery-approach goal; and countries from lower socioeconomic and interdependent countries endorsed the mastery-avoidance goal than higher socioeconomic and independent countries. Concerning, the meta-analyzed correlates, most relationships were hypothesized through the performance-approach goal, and both avoidance goals appeared to be too similar in relationships with the correlates raising theoretical concerns. Overall, the mastery-approach goals had the most meaningful biased corrected effect size values (rc) with the outcome correlates, such as relative autonomy (0.47), intrinsic motivation (0.52), effort (0.40), positive affect (0.42), physical activity intent (0.38). Based on the present and past meta-analytic results, the 2 × 2 achievement goals as currently measured was questioned. Future research suggestions included fundamental questionnaire issues, the need for latent profile analysis or other more advanced statistics, and whether the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework is the most appropriate framework in physical activity contexts.

Analysis of Motivational Climate, Emotional Intelligence, and Healthy Habits in Physical Education Teachers of the Future Using Structural Equations

This study developed a Structural Equation Model (SEM) in order to identify the associations between motivational climate, emotional intelligence, adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD), Physical Activity (PA), and some health indicators in a sample of future teachers. A non-experimental and cross-sectional study was carried in 775 university students (22.22 ± 3.76), using as main scales the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (PMCSQ-2), Emotional Intelligence Inventory adapted for the sport context, Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED), 20 meter Shuttle Run Test (20mSRT), and percentage of lean and fat mass as calculated by the Tanita TBF300®® (Tanita-Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) electronic scale. The results showed a positive association between emotional intelligence and task climate, whereas the relationship with an ego climate was low. Ego-oriented climate was positively related to MD and high levels of PA. Emotional intelligence was directly related to higher levels of PA and the level of adherence to MD. PA was negatively associated with fat mass and positively with lean mass and VO2MAX. Task-oriented motivational climate showed a positive relation with the emotional intelligence of young people. Ego-oriented motivational climates were related to higher rates of physical-sport engagement and better diet quality.

Skew t Mixture Latent State-Trait Analysis: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study on Statistical Performance

This simulation study assessed the statistical performance of a skew t mixture latent state-trait (LST) model for the analysis of longitudinal data. The model aims to identify interpretable latent classes with class-specific LST model parameters. A skew t-distribution within classes is allowed to account for non-normal outcomes. This flexible function covers heavy tails and may reduce the risk of identifying spurious classes, e.g., in case of outliers. Sample size, number of occasions and skewness of the trait variable were varied. Generally, parameter estimation accuracy increases with increasing numbers of observations and occasions. Larger bias compared to other parameters occurs for parameters referring to the skew t-distribution and variances of the latent trait variables. Standard error estimation accuracy shows diffuse patterns across conditions and parameters. Overall model performance is acceptable for large conditions, even though none of the models is free from bias. The application of the skew t mixture model in case of large numbers of occasions and observations may be possible, but results should be treated with caution. Moreover, the skew t approach may be useful for other mixture models.

Validación del Cuestionario de Clima Motivacional 3x2 en educación física

Esta investigación aborda dos objetivos: a) examinar la validez de constructo de un instrumento de medición del clima motivacional basado en el modelo de metas de logro 3x2, y b) estudiar las relaciones entre las seis estructuras de clima motivacional y diversas variables consecuentes relevantes. En el estudio 1 se elaboró el Cuestionario de Clima Motivacional 3x2 en Educación Física, completado por estudiantes de secundaria y bachillerato (N =192, M = 15.57 años). El Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio apoyó el modelo hipotético. Comparado con 10 modelos alternativos, este fue el que produjo mejor ajuste a los datos. En el estudio 2 se reexaminó el modelo con estudiantes más jóvenes (N= 299; M = 13.14 años) y se realizaron análisis de regresión para explorar los tipos de clima motivacional como predictores de variables dependientes. Se produjeron evidencias de patrones predictivos diferenciales entre las estructuras de clima basadas en la tarea y el yo.

The Effects of a Physical Education Intervention to Support the Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs on the Motivation and Intentions to be Physically Active

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of an intervention to support the basic psychological needs on the satisfaction of these needs, intrinsic motivation, intention to be physically active and some enjoyment-related outcomes in Physical Education. The present study incorporated strategies presented by Standage and Ryan (2012) in a previous study. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with two groups (n_experimental = 30; n_control = 23) of 2nd year Secondary Education students aged between 13 and 15 (M = 13.35, SD = .62) by delivering 24 physical education classes. The teacher in the experimental group underwent prior and continual training. The results revealed that the students from the experimental group showed a significant increase in the perception of autonomy and competence. Furthermore, the experimental group showed a greater perception than the control group in the enjoyment related to learning and contents. These results provide information about the efficacy of an intervention programme based on the strategies presented by Standage and Ryan (2012) to foster satisfaction of basic psychological needs and facilitate support for basic psychological needs to promote the development of positive learning-related outcomes.

A cluster analysis on students' perceived motivational climate. Implications on psycho-social variables

The aim of this study was to examine how students' perceptions of the class climate influence their basic psychological needs, motivational regulations, social goals and outcomes such as boredom, enjoyment, effort, and pressure/tension. 507 (267 males, 240 females) secondary education students agreed to participate. They completed a questionnaire that included the Spanish validated versions of Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (PMCSQ-2), Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise (BPNES), Perceived Locus of Causality (PLOC), Social Goal Scale-Physical Education (SGS-PE), and several subscales of the IMI. A hierarchical cluster analysis uncovered four independent class climate profiles that were confirmed by a K-Means cluster analysis: "high ego", "low ego-task", "high ego-medium task", and "high task". Several MANOVAs were performed using these clusters as independent variables and the different outcomes as dependent variables (p < .01). Results linked high mastery class climates to positive consequences such as higher students' autonomy, competence, relatedness, intrinsic motivation, effort, enjoyment, responsibility and relationship, as well as low levels of amotivation, boredom and pressure/tension. Students' perceptions of a performance class climate made the positive scores decrease significantly. Cluster 3 revealed that a mastery oriented class structure undermines the negative behavioral and psychological effects of a performance class climate. This finding supports the buffering hypothesis of the achievement goal theory.

The impact of achievement goals on cardiorespiratory fitness: does self-efficacy make a difference?

PURPOSE

The relationships among students' self-efficacy, 2 x 2 achievement goals (mastery-approach [MAp], mastery-avoidance [MAv], performance-approach [PAp], and performance-avoidance goals), and achievement performance remain largely unanswered. We tested a model of the mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between 2 x 2 achievement goals and cardiorespiratory fitness

METHOD

A sample of 276 middle school students (115 boys and 161 girls; 91 sixth graders, 87 seventh graders, and 98 eighth graders), aged 12 to 15 years (Mage = 13.34, SD = 0.96), responded to the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (Conroy, Elliot, & Hofer, 2003) and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Gao, Newton, & Carson, 2008) referenced to the fitness test. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed via the Progressive Aerobic Cardiorespiratory Endurance Run (PACER) 3 days later.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling demonstrated an acceptable model fit to the data, Chi2 (2, N = 105) = 1.66. Self-efficacy had a statistically significant direct effect on the PACER after controlling for the effects of the achievement goals (gamma(self-efficacy))-PACER = .21). MAv and PAp also had direct effects on PACER performance (gammaMAv-PACER = -.24, and gammaPAp-PACER = .24, respectively). MAp failed to exert direct effect on the PACER. However, the indirect effect of MAp on the PACER via self-efficacy was small although it was statistically significant. Additionally, the indirect effects of MAv and PAp on PACER through self-efficacy were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Students' self-efficacy fully mediated the effect of MAp on fitness performance, as well as partially mediated the effects of MAv and PAp on cardiorespiratory fitness performance. Study implications are provided for educators and practitioners.

Self-efficacy as a mediator of children's achievement motivation and in-class physical activity

The present study was designed to examine the mediating effect of self-efficacy on relations of middle school students' four achievement goals with their perceptions of two motivational climates and in-class physical activity in physical education. The four achievement goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance), perceptions of the motivational climate (mastery- and performance-involving climates), and self-efficacy were measured in a sample of 194 students (93 boys, 101 girls) in a public school. Students' in-class physical activity was assessed using Actical Accelerometers. A series of multiple-regression analyses supported the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationships among students' mastery-approach goal, perceived mastery-involving climate, and physical activity.