Search Results (58)

In the Spring of 2020, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) was officially declared a global pandemic, which prompted an unprecedented number of changes to societal functioning. Amongst those who experienced significant life alterations were collegiate athletes within the United States (US). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between US athletes’ perceptions of their team motivational climate, perceived support from coaches and teammates, and their optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. US collegiate athletes (N = 756; 56.3% female; Mage = 20.07 years, SDage = 1.57 years) across a variety of levels (e.g., Division I) and sports (e.g., basketball) were invited to participate in this study. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed significant positive associations between a caring and task-involving climate, athletes’ feeling supported by their coaches and teammates, and athletes’ optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, an ego-involving climate was significantly negatively associated with athletes’ feeling supported by their coaches and teammates. The final results suggest that the supportive actions of coaches and teammates during difficult times can mediate the positive connection between perceptions of a caring-task-involving climate on athletic teams and an athlete’s ability to stay optimistic during difficult life stressors. Full article

The purposes of this systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024510614, no funding source) were to quantify relationships between situational and dispositional dichotomous achievement goals and sport performance and explore potential relationship moderators. Published studies that reported at least one situational or dispositional achievement goal and a performance score were included. Studies without performance scores or based in a non-sport context were excluded. Information sources consisted of studies found in relevant published meta-analyses and EBSCOhost databases (finalized September 2024). The following statistics were conducted to assess the risk of bias: class-fail-safe n, Orwin’s fail-safe n, and funnel plots with trim and fill estimates. The summary statistics were r and d. Thirty studies from 1994 to 2024 met all inclusion criteria with 8708 participants from Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania. The majority of samples were non-elite male youths and adolescents. The random-effects relationships (r) between task climate, 0.20 [0.14, 0.25], task orientation, 0.17 [0.12, 0.23], ego orientation, 0.09 [0.03, 0.16], and sport performance were small and significantly different (p < 0.05) from zero, while the ego motivational climate relationship was not, −0.00 [−0.48, 0.05]. The random-effects standard differences in means (d) for both the task orientation, 0.08 [0.02, 0.14], and ego orientation, 0.11 [−0.05, 0.26] were minimal in meaningfulness. Mixed-effects moderator analyses resulted in the following significant (p < 0.05) sub-group differences: subjective compared to objective performance measures (task orientation), elite compared to non-elite samples (task climate), and athlete-completed compared to coach-completed performance measures and performance records (task orientation). Finding only 30 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, which limited sub-group samples for moderation analyses, was the main limitation. Despite this limitation, AGT provides athletes and practitioners performance enhancement strategies. However, caution is warranted regarding relationship expectations given the small mean effect size values and the true prediction interval ranging from negative to positive, perhaps as a result of the heterogeneous samples and performance measures. A clear line of future research, considering the reviewed studies, with elite athletes is needed to verify the performance benefits of the task climate and ego orientation as well as the use of the ego goal orientation in selection decisions. Full article

(1) Background: The psychological benefits of cycling have been identified such as the maintenance of low-stress levels. However, no studies have been found addressing the benefits of cycling on variables such as emotional intelligence (EI) and motivational climate (MC), which are important for holistic development in children. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between MC, EI, and cycling habits in schoolchildren. (2) Methods: A descriptive, comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 347 Spanish schoolchildren (46.4% boys; 53.6% girls; M_age = 10.55, S.D. = 0.97). A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24), and the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (PMCSQ-2) were applied for data collection. (3) Results: Boys use bicycles more frequently than girls; task-oriented motivational climate (TC) is observed in girls and schoolchildren with moderate cycling habits; ego-involving motivational climate (EC) prevails in boys and students who cycle more than four times per week; no statistical association was found between EI and cycling use habits; and EI and its dimensions correlate with TC and some categories of EC. (4) Conclusions: Moderate cycling habits are linked to a task-oriented MC and have slightly higher scores on general EI and its dimensions. Full article

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived mother- and father-initiated motivational climates and players’ fear of failure in youth male team sports. A sample of 336 youth male players from five team sports (basketball, football, handball, volleyball, and water polo) completed the Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate Questionnaire-2 and the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory. The results showed that perceived mother- and father-initiated motivational climates were related to fear of failure predispositions. While a mastery orientation (perceived learning-enjoyment climate) had a low association with fear of failure, an ego orientation (perceived worry-conducive and success-without-effort climates) was highly related to fear of failure. Father-initiated climates had stronger associations with fear of failure than mother-initiated ones, revealing that mothers and fathers may have different influences when considering the developmental origins of fear of failure. The relationships between mother- and father-initiated motivational climates and fear of failure varied according to the type of sport, with basketball, football, and volleyball presenting stronger associations. The dimensions “Fear of important others losing interest” and “Fear of upsetting important others” presented the highest explained variance in all sports when predicted by the father-initiated motivational climate. The findings can inform important evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for parents, coaches, and organizations, enabling them to create supportive environments that aid athletes in developing the necessary psychological skills for long-term success and well-being. Full article

Tennis coaches display significant influence, catalyzing changes in athlete performance, motivation, and overall well-being. Research on coaches’ motivations and their impact on coaching style, work, and well-being is limited, especially in individual sports like tennis. Based on self-determination (SDT) and achievement goal (AGT) theories, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationships of coaches’ self-determined motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation), basic psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), and achievement goals (self-improvement—SI, self-enhancement—SE, self-transcendence—ST) with their coach-created empowering-disempowering motivational climate, work engagement, and well-being (subjective vitality). Participants were 106 tennis coaches from Greece (66 males and 40 females), with an average age of 41.30 ± 12.54 years and coaching experience ranging from six months to 40 years. Data was collected through online questionnaires. Correlation analysis revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs, and achievement goals were found to be positively related to an empowering climate, work engagement, and subjective vitality. Coaches’ amotivation was positively related to a disempowering climate. Multiple regression analyses showed that autonomy and ST achievement goals significantly predicted tennis coaches’ empowering motivational climate, while none of the independent variables were significant predictors of the disempowering motivational climate. Additionally, intrinsic motivation and ST goal significantly predicted tennis coaches’ work engagement, while autonomy and ST goal significantly predicted their subjective vitality. It is advisable for forthcoming coach education initiatives to consider these findings as an additional justification for tennis coaches to incorporate multiple perspectives into their coaching methodologies. Full article

Motivational climate is known to relate to individual behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. Hedonic or subjective well-being includes self-assessed positive affect (i.e., pleasant affect, moods, and emotions), negative affect (i.e., unpleasant affect, moods, and emotions), and life or domain-specific satisfaction. The aim of this review was to quantify the relationships between task and ego motivational climate scales and measures representing hedonic well-being with sports participants. Potential moderators of the motivational climate and hedonic well-being were examined. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID CRD42023470462, registered 28 October 2023). From five relevant databases, one relevant review, and hand searching, 82 articles totaling 26,378 participants (46.3% female) met the inclusion criteria. The articles spanned publication dates from 1993 to 2023, representing 18 countries, various team and individual sports, and athletes competing in elite (e.g., Olympic) to grassroot (e.g., club sport) competitions. To meta-analyze the motivational climate and hedonic well-being relationships, the random-effects model was used. For the moderation analyses, the mixed-effects model was used. The task or mastery climate relationships were medium in magnitude with positive affect and satisfaction and small with negative affect. The ego or performance climate relationships were small in magnitude for positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction. Evidence of bias existed in the motivational climate and hedonic well-being relationships. For moderation analyses, athlete level (i.e., elite vs. non-elite) moderated (p < 0.05) the task (elite, r = 0.23; non-elite, r = 0.34) and ego motivational climate (elite, r = −0.02; non-elite, r = −0.13) and positive affect and satisfaction combined relationships. In conclusion, the motivational climate and hedonic well-being relationships were stronger for the task climate than for the ego climate. The finding that elite athlete correlations appeared dampened is important for future research. Even with the damped relationships, practitioners, from the Olympics to local clubs, should ensure the promotion of the task climate to maximize positive affect and satisfactions in and around the sport experience. Full article

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived coach-created empowering and disempowering motivational climate and doping likelihood among athletes and whether the attitudes towards doping and doping self-regulatory efficacy mediates these relationships. Methods: Athletes (N = 948; 50% male; mean age, 20.32, SD = 2.45) recruited from a variety of sports completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of coach-created motivational climate, attitudes towards doping, doping self-regulatory efficacy, and doping likelihood. Results: The study’s results showed significant negative direct effects of a perceived empowering climate on doping likelihood (β = −0.50) and attitudes towards doping (β = −0.48), and a positive effect on self-regulatory efficacy (β = 0.48). On the contrary, a disempowering climate had positive direct effects on doping likelihood (β = 0.53) and attitudes towards doping (β = 0.45), and a negative effect on self-regulatory efficacy (β = −0.49). Significant indirect effects on doping likelihood via attitudes and self-regulatory efficacy were found. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that athletes who perceive a more empowering climate created by the coach are less likely to use banned substances due to their more negative attitudes towards doping and stronger belief in their ability to resist the temptation to use doping. Full article

The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive summary of scientific evidence related with the influence on physical self-concept and prosocial behaviours in adolescents, taking into account the motivational climate generated in Physical Education classes by the teacher. Studies with similar samples have shown that special consideration must be given to the motivational climate of involvement with the task and the coach’s style in support of autonomy in a greater occurrence of prosocial behaviours in the sports context, which shows that the social context is the most important variable in the direction of moral behaviours. Following the application of a search protocol in the Web of Science (WoS) database, 131 articles were initially identified, with eight manuscripts finally being analysed according to previously established criteria for the various stages of the PRISMA checklist. Despite only a relatively small number of articles being available to have rigorously evaluated the topic of interest, analysed studies revealed a direct relationship between motivational climate and physical self-concept. In contrast, no relationship emerged with prosocial behaviour. Full article

Currently, many combat sports are pedagogically conceived as uneducational and unreliable for the development of young people. The present research aims to investigate the influence of a Judo intervention programme on the motivational climate towards sport, aggressive behaviour, emotional intelligence, and self-concept in secondary school students and to establish the relationships between them. This objective was broken down into (a) developing an explanatory model of the variables mentioned above and (b) testing the model equations through a multi-group analysis in terms of pre-test and post-test. The present study conducted a pre–post-test quasi-experimental design with a single experimental group. The sample consisted of a total of 139 adolescents (12.67 ± 1.066), 50.4% of whom were male (n = 70) and 49.6% female (n = 69). The results show that the intervention decreased all types of aggression and increased levels of emotional intelligence. An increase in social, physical and academic self-concept and decreases in the family and emotional areas were also observed. Finally, for the motivational climate, a tendency towards the ego climate to the detriment of the task climate was observed. It is concluded that the Judo intervention programme is effective in decreasing aggressive behaviour and effective in increasing levels of emotional intelligence and self-concept. Full article

Different authors have reported on the influence of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) intervention on game performance and psychosocial variables. This review aimed: (a) to explore the TGfU experimental studies; (b) to compare the effects of the TGfU vs. technical approach pedagogy on game performance; and (c) to determine the effect of the TGfU approach on game performance and psychosocial variables (motivational climate, task orientation, perceived competence and enjoyment). This systematic review with meta-analysis adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Four databases (PubMed, WOS, EBSCO and Google scholar metasearch) were searched. Study quality was measured with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) score. Thirteen studies were included. A pooled analysis of all interventions demonstrated a large significant improvement in decision making for TGfU when compared to technical approach pedagogy (SMD = 5.93, I2 = 98%; CI (95%) = 2.15–9.71; p = 0.004) and no differences between groups for skill execution (SMD = 1.70; I2 = 8%; CI (95%) = −5.34–8.73; p = 0.60). The effect of a TGfU intervention on game performance is strong (decision making, execution skills and tactical skills). Moderate evidence is reported by psychosocial variables (motivational climate, task orientation, perception of motivation and achievement in physical education). In addition, it is unclear its effect on perceived competence, enjoyment, knowledge of the game and intention to be physically active. TGfU intervention could be an appropriate approach for males and females in the context of education or sport. There is a need for a greater number of studies. Full article

This work examines athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions and observed behavior in training and matches of the motivational climate created by the coach over the course of a season and whether these sources of information can inform the engagement of young basketball and volleyball players. A longitudinal design and multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were conducted. Adolescents (n = 517) of both genders (61.1% male, 38.9% female) aged between 12 and 20 years (M = 16.01; SD = 1.85) playing in the A division of the basketball (46.4%) and volleyball (53.6%) federation of Buenos Aires (Argentina) participated in the study. In addition, 48 coaches (83% male, 17% female; M age = 33.98; SD = 8.39) from these teams participated. The coaches were videotaped during the training sessions in the three waves of measurements. Observers used the Multidimensional Motivational Climate Observational System. Athletes and coaches completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, and the Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire-Coach. Athletes also completed the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire. Differences were found between perspectives and, in general, a decrease in variables characterizing empowering climates and an increase in those characterizing disempowering climates were observed over the course of the season. When all measures are considered together and the effect of time is controlled for, the assessments that predict engagement are athlete perceptions and match observations. Full article

This study assessed the Chinese health physical education curriculum model recently suggested to meet the recommended physical education curriculum reforms addressing the declining physical and mental health of students in China. We used video analyses of 41 physical education classroom teaching cases with a physical education classroom teaching behavior analysis system to provide quantitative and qualitative behavioral data. We established reference ranges for classroom teaching behavior indicators, summarized classroom teaching patterns, and assessed classroom discourse and the emotional climate. Notable findings included teachers in elementary schools using closed-ended questions, predictable responses, and general feedback significantly more often than teachers in senior high school, and ball sports instructors using demonstration and competition significantly more frequently than instructors in athletics. Overall, three teaching patterns were most commonly used—lecture, practice, and dialogue—with practice being dominant. Analysis of the top 50 most commonly spoken words by teachers identified five types of discourse—motivational, directive, specialized, transitional, and regulatory—with motivational words being most frequent. The classroom atmosphere was mainly positive. These findings provide evidence that the use of this curriculum model may bring positive changes to physical education classroom teaching methods in China and will inform subsequent innovative physical education classroom teaching practices. Full article

Sports commitment is a psychological construct that has been studied since the 1990s and that has been used in the educational field. The main objective of this study is to analyze the suitability of AirBadminton to acquired sports commitment and the classroom climate generated through the practice of AirBadminton. It was also proposed to analyze the physical, technical and temporal characteristics of AirBadminton. The research was developed with 1298 students between 13 and 15 years of age (mean ± standard deviation; body height: 1.61 ± 7.08 m; body mass 59.68 ± 7.11 kg); one group developed an AirBadminton didactic unit forming the experimental group, and a second group carried out other net games, being the control group. The following instruments were used: the Sports Commitment Questionnaire-2 CCD-2, the Brief Class Climate Scale EBCC, the analysis software LongoMatch version 1.10.1, the heart rate (HR) and the distance traveled of some participants were monitored with different Polar brand sensors (Polar H10 and Verity Sense) and two SPI-Elite GPS devices from the GPSports brand. Results show that sports commitment was increased in the experimental group. AirBadminton shows aspects that are directly and positively related to intrinsic motivation and adherence to sports practice; it improves the classroom climate and increases the desire to excel of the participants. Full article

Background: This study aimed at examining the mediation role of self-determined motivation (identified and integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation) in the association between task-involving climate and enjoyment in youth male football athletes. Methods: A total of 109 youth males (M = 14.38; SD = 1.55) were recruited to participate in this study. The survey included sociodemographic data and validated instruments such as the Motivational Climate Sport Youth Scale, the Behavioral Regulation Sport Questionnaire, and the Sports Enjoyment Scale. Results: The results showed that the task-involving climate was a positive and significant predictor of integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation. In addition, integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation were positive and significant predictors of enjoyment. The results of the mediation analysis revealed a partial mediation role of self-determined motivation in the relationship between task-involving climate and enjoyment. Significant indirect effects only occurred through intrinsic motivation. Conclusions: Providing higher levels of enjoyment in the sport context could be an excellent option for leisure activities for children and youth, as long as self-determined motivation and task-involving climates provided by the coaches are present. Full article

The multidimensional model of empowering and disempowering coach climates has great relevance within the scope of intervention in the context of Sport Psychology. This scoping review of studies summarizes the scientific production of the empowering and disempowering motivational climates. The search comprised the Web of Science, Scopus, Psycinfo, and Pubmed databases for English, Portuguese, and Spanish articles published between 2013 and 2022. A total of 44 articles were found, of which 22 were included in the present study: 16 concerned cross-sectional studies, four were psychometrics validation studies, one involved a transversal cohort study, and one included a qualitative study. The questionnaire EDMCQ-C (Coach-created Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Questionnaire) is the most used and with the necessary psychometric qualities when it comes to assessing the empowering and disempowering motivational climates and their various impacts. We describe results concerning the measurement, antecedents, and effects of empowering and disempowering coach climates. Future research should invest in the study of empirical evidence that could be added to the existing nomological framework, considering antecedents, development, direct and indirect effects, moderating effects, aggregated effects, and qualitative studies. Full article