Beyond Performance: Training Experience Moderates Adolescents’ Motivational Responses to Sprint Performance Feedback

Sustained engagement in physical activity during adolescence is a critical determinant of long-term health and well-being. Performance feedback is widely used in youth sport settings, yet its motivational impact may depend on athletes’ developmental stage and training experience. This study examined adolescents’ motivational responses following individualized sprint performance feedback and investigated whether training experience and sprint performance moderated these responses. Fifty-three adolescent athletes (mean age = 14.86 ± 0.81 years) completed a brief five-item questionnaire assessing commitment, enjoyment, self-determination, intention to continue training, and self-efficacy immediately after receiving individualized sprint performance feedback. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the scale’s factorial structure and reliability. A two-way analysis of variance examined the effects of training age (1–6 vs. 7–12 years) and sprint performance (faster vs. slower) on overall motivational response. Factor analyses provided preliminary support for a unidimensional motivational response construct (ω = 0.92; α = 0.92). Overall motivational responses following feedback were moderately positive. Sprint performance demonstrated a significant main effect on motivation. Importantly, a significant interaction between training age and performance emerged as the key finding, indicating that less experienced athletes were more sensitive to performance outcomes, whereas motivation among more experienced athletes remained relatively stable. Individualized sprint performance feedback appears to be associated with moderately positive motivational responses in adolescent athletes, particularly during early stages of sport participation. These findings highlight the importance of developmentally appropriate feedback strategies that emphasize progress and competence development to support engagement in youth sport, which may be relevant for sustained participation over time.