According to self-determination theory, reasons for engaging in physical activity can be classified along a self-determined continuum (Deci & Ryan, 2002). An educational environment supporting the needs of autonomy,... [ view full abstract ]
According to self-determination theory, reasons for engaging in physical activity can be classified along a self-determined continuum (Deci & Ryan, 2002). An educational environment supporting the needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness is expected to facilitate students’ need satisfaction, which will eventually lead to more self-determined motivational orientations (e.g. Hollembeak & Amorose, 2005; Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2005). However, no German-language instrument exists that examines all aspects of the aforementioned constructs for children. Therefore, the aim of this study is the development and validation of test-economical questionnaires based on self-determination theory for 9-13 year old children engaging in extracurricular sports or physical education. For this purpose, an item pool has been generated based on existing English-language questionnaires for children and adolescents. The result of factor analysis in the field of extracurricular sports is a questionnaire of 32 items including 9 scales, which show satisfying internal consistencies. First construct validations as proof of the simplex structure regarding the motivational orientation support the suitability of the items. Based on these results, cross-validations with another sample will be reported. In a following project the items were modified and piloted for the use in physical education classes. Overall, the results support the assumption that children in the age of 9-13 years are already capable of differentiating the constructs in association with self-determination theory and future research should therefore be expanded to this age group.
Hollembeak, J., & Amorose, A.J. (2005). Perceived coaching behaviors and college athletes’ intrinsic motivation: A test of self-determination theory. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17(1), 20–36.
Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2002). Handbook of Self-Determination Research. Rochester: University of Rochester Press.
Standage, M., Duda, J.L., & Ntoumanis, N. (2005). A test of self-determination theory in school physical education. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 411–433.
