Initial Validity Evidence for the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity With Youth

Experiencing mindfulness during movement-based interventions (e.g., yoga) may help support adaptive physical activity motivation processes in youth. However, there is currently no measure for assessing state mindfulness with youth within the context of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate a measure of state mindfulness for physical activity in youth. In study one, cognitive interviews with youth (N = 15) ages 8–13 evaluated the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity item comprehension and preference for developmentally worded modifications. Results suggest that problems with item comprehension were more likely in youth younger than 10. In study two, the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity, or a modified version, was administered randomly to middle-school students (N = 481). Internal consistency reliability, confirmatory factor analyses, model-based reliability omega, and correlations with theoretically relevant variables combined with the qualitative evidence provided stronger initial support for the use of the original State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity with middle-school students.     

Index for Volume 59 (1988)

Abstract

Numerous epidemiological investigations have shown that low physical fitness and low physical activity are related to the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Most studies, however, have not examined both variables concurrently to determine which has the strongest association with CAD risk. The purpose of the investigation was to cross-sectionally examine the relationships among physical fitness, physical activity, and risk factors for CAD. Male law enforcement officers (N = 412) from the City of Austin, Texas, were subjects for this study. Physical fitness, physical activity, and risk factors for CAD were assessed through health screenings and from data collected as part of an annual physical fitness assessment. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that physical fitness, but not physical activity, was related to several single CAD risk factors. Percent body fat, smoking habits, and Type A behavior score were negatively related to physical fitness level, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was positively related to physical fitness level. Univariate analysis of variance found both physical fitness and physical activity to be significantly related to a composite CAD risk score. Low physical fitness and low physical activity were associated with a high CAD risk score. These data suggest that physical activity must be sufficient to influence physical fitness before statistically significant risk-reducing benefits on single CAD risk factors are obtained, although minimal engagement in weekly vigorous activity provides a significant benefit for the composite CAD risk score. It is plausible, however, that physical fitness is a stronger measure than physical activity and optimally characterizes the relationship among physical activity and CAD risk factors.     

Women,Disability, and Sport and Physical Fitness Activity: The Intersection of Gender and Disability Dynamics

Abstract

This study explores the often overlooked experiences of women with physical disabilities in the sport and physical fitness activity domain. Interviews with 16 women with a physical disability (age range of 19–54 years) revealed the following major themes: (a) participation in fitness-related as opposed to sport-related activities, (b) participation to maintain the functional level of the body and preserve existing capabilities, (c) intrinsic nature of gains derived from participation (perceived competence, enhanced view of body, motivational outlet, control in life), and (d) perceived differences in the sport and physical fitness activity experiences of men and women with disabilities. Findings support the notion that gender and disability interact in the sport and physical fitness context for women with physical disabilities.     

Women, disability, and sport and physical fitness activity: the intersection of gender and disability dynamics.

This study explores the often overlooked experiences of women with physical disabilities in the sport and physical fitness activity domain. Interviews with 16 women with a physical disability (age range of 19-54 years) revealed the following major themes: (a) participation in fitness-related as opposed to sport-related activities, (b) participation to maintain the functional level of the body and preserve existing capabilities, (c) intrinsic nature of gains derived from participation (perceived competence, enhanced view of body, motivational outlet, control in life), and (d) perceived differences in the sport and physical fitness activity experiences of men and women with disabilities. Findings support the notion that gender and disability interact in the sport and physical fitness context for women with physical disabilities.     

Physical Education's Role in Public Health: Responses

In this study, we used the trans-contextual model of motivation (TCM) to examine the effect of Sport Education (SE) on students' participation in a voluntary lunch recess sport club. A total of 192 participants (ages 9-14 years) completed measures of the TCM constructs before and after a 12-week SE intervention period. Participants had the opportunity to participate in weekly, voluntary lunch recess sport club sessions during the intervention period. SE elicited a moderate increase in autonomous motives in physical education. The TCM accounted for a significant proportion of the explained variance in lunch recess sport club intention and participation. Autonomy-supportive curricular models, such as SE, may have the potential to facilitate transfer of motivation and participation in physical activity from a physical education to an extracurricular context.     

The expectancy-value theory: A meta-analysis of its application in physical education

BackgroundThe purpose of motivating students is to enhance their learning achievement. The expectancy-value theory (EVT) has demonstrated its efficacy in motivating students in classrooms and in gymnasia. Understanding student motivation in physical education is needed. This meta-analysis review aimed to reveal the determinants and functions of EVT by evaluating the evidence in physical education research.MethodsWe followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify and meta-analyze the current research literature published from January 2010 to December 2020 by generating and analyzing the effect sizes from the studies.ResultsA total of 31 studies were included. The results show that social support, motivation of teachers and peers, and positive class climate can predict student EVT motivation. EVT motivation predicts student learning behaviors, situational interests, fitness performance, health behavior function, out-of-school physical activity, and physical skill development.ConclusionEVT motivation could facilitate learning behaviors and situational interest development in the gymnasium. It might lead to fitness enhancement, health behavior change, out-of-school physical activity participation, and physical skill development. Fostering a learning environment with a mastery-centered and/or student autonomy approach where students perceived success and the task values can enhance and maximize student EVT motivation and learning achievement.     

‘Last goal wins’: re/engaging women of a ‘forgotten’ age through football?

This paper explores the physical activity experiences of a group of women based in England, and who are over the age of 30. This particular age group represent a ‘forgotten’ age, that is, they are largely ignored in academic scholarship, policy and physical activity provision. The paper explores how this group of women ‘re/engaged’ in physical activity after a sustained period of inactivity. The study is situated in a weekly football initiative (Monday Night Footy) based in the north of England, managed and organised by a group of women for women to train and play five-a-side football. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and the use of photo-biographical boards with 11 women, all of whom are regular participants to the football sessions. We use a middle ground feminist lens and Archer's notion of ‘fr/agility’ to help make sense of the women's experiences. From these women's stories three key findings emerge: (a) Biographies of (in)activity – the ways in which relationships with physical activity can be characterised by fractures and fissures despite seemingly positive early physical activity experiences; (b) Pathways of re/engagement – the motives and enablers to these women once again participating in physical activity after a sustained absence; and (c) Monday Night Footy as a space for re/engagement – the ways in which this context contributes to these women's continued involvement in football and broader physical activity. The paper concludes by offering policy makers and physical activity providers with some recommendations alongside considerations for future research.     

Sport education and extracurricular sport participation: an examination using the trans-contextual model of motivation

In this study, we used the trans-contextual model of motivation (TCM) to examine the effect of Sport Education (SE) on students' participation in a voluntary lunch recess sport club. A total of 192 participants (ages 9-14 years) completed measures of the TCM constructs before and after a 12-week SE intervention period. Participants had the opportunity to participate in weekly, voluntary lunch recess sport club sessions during the intervention period. SE elicited a moderate increase in autonomous motives in physical education. The TCM accounted for a significant proportion of the explained variance in lunch recess sport club intention and participation. Autonomy-supportive curricular models, such as SE, may have the potential to facilitate transfer of motivation and participation in physical activity from a physical education to an extracurricular context.     

Using the self-determination theory to understand Chinese adolescent leisure-time physical activity

Purposes: This study applies the self-determination theory (SDT) to test the hypothesized relationships among perceived autonomy support from parents, physical education (PE) teachers, and peers, the fulfilment of psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), autonomous motivation, and leisure-time physical activity of Chinese adolescents. Method: There are 255 grade six to eight student participants from four middle schools around Shanghai, China included in this study. An accelerometer was used to measure the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The participants completed the questionnaires regarding SDT variables. The structural equation modelling was applied to examine the hypothesized relationships among the study variables. Results: The model of hypothesized relationships demonstrated a good fit with the data [X²?=?20.84, df?=?9, P?=?.01; CFI?=?0.98; IFI?=?0.98; SRMR?=?0.04; RMSEA?=?0.05]. The findings revealed that autonomy support from parents, PE teachers, and peers foster social conditions in which the three basic psychological needs can be met. In turn, autonomy, competence, and relatedness are positively associated with autonomous motivation for MVPA. The autonomous motivation positively relates to the MVPA time of adolescents. The three psychological needs partially mediate the influence of autonomy support from parents (β?=?0.18, P?<?.01; Bootstrap 95% CI?=?0.06–0.33) and teachers (β?=?0.17, P?<?.01; Bootstrap 95% CI?=?0.03–0.26) in the autonomous motivation. Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings support the applicability of SDT in understanding and promoting physical activity of Chinese adolescents.     

大学生体育学习评价方法的构建及应用研究

通过多年的教学实践和体育评价经验的积累,在广泛调查研究的基础上,结合当前学校体育学习评价的现实,总结当前体育学习评价内容、评价方法及主体等方面存在的问题;以评价多样化的样式来衡量和评价大学生的体育成绩,并运用Excel服务器2006 V6.2.1等切实可行的软件对体育教学效果进行测量、分析和评定,提出了促进学生全面发展的评价方法和操作方法。为现代学校体育改革与发展提供衡量标准和参考依据。     

‘You don’t want to stand out as the bigger one’: exploring how PE and school sport participation is influenced by pupils and their peers

Background: Population health concerns related to physical inactivity and obesity appear in policy documents, government campaigns and popular media across western societies. Children and young people have been targeted for physical activity promotion and schools have been positioned as sites for intervention. In particular, Physical Education and school sport (PESS) has been framed as a key part of the solution. While some interventionist programmes in schools have reported positive outcomes, they have also been criticised for stigmatising fatness, contributing to a culture of surveillance and fuelling body image anxieties. Despite ongoing work to ameliorate these critical issues by addressing physical activity promotion discourses, curricula and teaching practices many of the same challenges persist. In seeking alternative explanations (and solutions) this paper shifts attention to exploring the role of pupils and their peers.

Purpose: While the critical literature on health and physical education has been illuminating, few studies explore the role of pupils and their peers. Further research is necessary to understand how school peers contribute to pupils’ engagement with PESS. This paper, therefore, draws on Bourdieu’s notion of physical capital and seeks to understand how pupils’ physical activity is influenced by lived-body experiences in school spaces.

The study: Data were produced from a 6-month bricolage-based study with pupils (N?=?29, aged 13–14) across four diverse school settings in England. Multiple qualitative methods were deployed to enhance methodological rigour with what is often a challenging age group for research. Data were interpreted and theorised using the concept of physical capital.

Findings: Pupils themselves play a significant part in establishing the physical body as a symbol of power and status in school settings. Participants understood the health risks of being both underweight and obese, but they regarded obesity as being more problematic because of the immediate social risks of ‘standing out as the bigger one’. Following this rationale, participants sought to accumulate physical capital through engaging in exercise as a purposeful calorie-burning activity intended to avoid the pity, abnormality and derision which is expected to be directed towards overweight pupils. Furthermore, during PESS in clear view of peers, distinctions between pupils’ physical capital could be made by recognising differences in sporting skill. In this context, physical capital mediated engagement in PESS in various ways.

Conclusion: This study has revealed that peers play a significant part in constructing the lived-body experiences of young people. In order to address the criticisms raised about some school-based health promotion interventions, it is crucial to attend to pupils’ relationships with peers as well as addressing policies, curricula and teaching practices. Being sensitive to peer relationships and their understanding of health may help teachers and health promoters decide how to manage the spaces where PESS takes place.     

The behavioral regulation in sport questionnaire (BRSQ): instrument development and initial validity evidence

The purpose of the four studies described in this article was to develop and test a new measure of competitive sport participants' intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation (self-determination theory; Deci & Ryan, 1985). The items for the new measure, named the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ), were constructed using interviews, expert review, and pilot testing. Analyses supported the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factorial validity of the BRSQ scores. Nomological validity evidence was also supportive, as BRSQ subscale scores were correlated in the expected pattern with scores derived from measures of motivational consequences. When directly compared with scores derived from the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS; Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, & Blais, 1995) and a revised version of that questionnaire (SMS-6; Mallett, Kawabata, Newcombe, Otero-Forero, & Jackson, 2007), BRSQ scores demonstrated equal or superior reliability and factorial validity as well as better nomological validity.     

Predictors of intrinsic motivation among adolescent students in physical education

This study examined the relationships among social factors, individual differences, intrinsic motivation, and effort and persistence in the physical education context using cognitive evaluation theory as a framework. Female (n = 201) and male (n = 206) high school students completed measures of motivational climate, teaching style, perceived competence, self-determination, goal orientations, and intrinsic motivation. Teachers rated the students on effort and persistence in the class activities. Hypothesized relationships among the variables were tested using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that perceived competence and goal orientations directly predicted intrinsic motivation and mediated the effects of motivational climate and teaching style on intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation directly predicted effort and persistence. Task goal orientation mediated the effects of learning climate on perceived competence and self-determination. The strongest predictors of intrinsic motivation and effort and persistence were task goal orientation perceived competence, and learning climate.     

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Life Skills Scale for Sport

ABSTRACT

This research adapted the Life Skills Scale for Sport (LSSS) into Portuguese and provided evidence for its construct validity. Study 1 included four translators and five academics who developed a Portuguese version of the LSSS (P-LSSS). During this study, evidence for the content and substantive aspects of construct validity was provided using an expert panel and 25 sports participants. Study 2 included 413 participants that completed the P-LSSS. Within this study, evidence for the structural aspect of construct validity was provided via factor analyses. Study 3 included 134 participants who completed the P-LSSS and a measure of motivation. This study provided evidence for the external aspect of construct validity, with results showing more self-determined motivation had positive relationships with participant’s life skills development. Overall, our findings provided evidence for the construct validity of P-LSSS scores. Researchers and practitioners can use the P-LSSS to assess life skills development within sports participants.     

Quality of Life Assessment for Physical Activity and Health Promotion: Further Psychometrics and Comparison of Measures

Despite the clear relationship between physical activity and quality of life, few sound, relevant quality of life measures exist. Gill and colleagues developed a 32-item quality of life survey, and provided initial psychometric evidence. This study further examined that quality of life survey in comparison with the widely used short form (SF-36) health survey. Participants (n = 446) completed the quality of life survey, short form (36) health survey, World Health Organization quality of life measure, satisfaction with life scale, and the Godin physical activity measure. All quality of life survey scales (emotional, social, spiritual, physical, activities of daily living, cognitive, integrated) were internally consistent (alpha .79–.95) and test–retest correlations ranged from .68 to .82. The SF-36 had similar internal consistency, slightly lower test–retest correlations, and weaker relationships with satisfaction with life scale. Quality of life survey scales correlated with matching SF-36 and World Health Organization quality of life measure subscales supporting convergent validity. The quality of life survey reflects positive health models better than the SF-36, and is more appropriate for research and programs that focus on physical activity and health promotion.     

‘Intensive mothering’ in the early years: the cultivation and consolidation of (physical) capital

Growing pressure on parents to equip their children with the skills required for future success, coupled with an increased focus on providing quality learning experiences in the early years, has contributed to an upsurge in the enrolment of young children in formal (often privatised) activities. Moreover, in response to growing societal concerns over the perceived risks of obesity and sedentary lifestyles, parents are often acutely aware of the importance of providing plentiful physical activity opportunities for their children within this enrichment context. In this paper, the tendency for parents to provide copious developmental opportunities is referred to as ‘intensive mothering’ and is explored through the theoretical lens of Bourdieu, specifically his concepts of habitus and capital. This paper reports on a small-scale study undertaken within the UK, which sought to explore the impact of social class on access to early years' provision as well as parental attitudes towards physical activity and the provision of preschool physical development opportunities. Data were generated through a questionnaire (disseminated via early years settings) as well as three in-depth interviews with ‘middle-class’ parents and were analysed to draw out key themes relating to the cultivation and consolidation of (physical) capital. The data indicate that many parents perceive a ‘responsibility’ to aid their children's physical development and demonstrate a willingness to facilitate the acquisition of physical capital via the provision of play equipment, privatised classes and additional (informal) physical activity opportunities. Moreover, they suggest that ‘middle-class’ parents, in particular, articulate the need to invest heavily in enrichment activities, influenced by their own experiences, tastes and values. It is argued that ‘intensive mothering’ is illustrative of the reproduction of a class-based habitus and can be perceived as an attempt to maintain or improve social position through the cultivation, consolidation and, ultimately, conversion, of appropriate capital.     

Evaluating quality of implementation in physical activity interventions based on theories of motivation: current challenges and future directions

The evidence base pointing towards the maladaptive health consequences of an inactive lifestyle highlights the need for interventions that are effective in changing and maintaining physical activity behaviours. Theories of motivation are frequently applied to inform the content and delivery of such interventions. Systematic monitoring and evaluation of the quality of intervention implementation is therefore an important step in understanding if and how theories of motivation can be adopted and effectively applied to promote and/or sustain physical activity behaviours. However, intervention implementation quality in studies that aim to apply motivation theory to promote physical activity is often under-reported. The purpose of this article is, first, to review contemporary approaches used to monitor and evaluate intervention implementation; we outline the degree to which these methods have been used effectively in research concerned with applying theories of motivation to impact physical activity behaviours. Second, we identify and discuss specific challenges in effectively measuring quality of implementation faced by researchers who adopt a motivation theory basis to their work. Finally, recommendations for methods to monitor and evaluate intervention implementation in future trials aiming to promote physical activity based on theories of motivation are also proposed.     

青少年足球运动员竞赛状态焦虑、运动动机及应对方式的差异研究

运用访问调查、问卷调查研究方法对我国青少年足球运动员竞赛状态焦虑、运动动机和应对方式的关系进行了研究。结果表明:进入梯队年限短的青少年足球运动员在认知状态焦虑和躯体状态焦虑平均分低于年长的运动员,在状态自信心上相反;运动动机的认同调节和内投调节维度上存在非常显著性差异和显著性差异;在应对方式的集中解决问题的应对维度上存在显著性差异。3个年龄段竞赛状态焦虑上没有显著性差异;在运动动机的认同调节和内投调节两个维度上存在显著性差异;在应对方式上无显著性差异。不同运动等级青少年足球运动员的竞赛状态焦虑、运动动机、应对方式均无显著性差异。     

A review of motivational climate in physical activity.

Here we provide, within a social-cognitive framework, a critical review of research on the motivational impact of different psychological climates in physical activity. Motivational, cognitive, affective and behavioural outcomes are considered in sport, school physical education and exercise. We first review laboratory and field studies that tried to manipulate the perceived structures of motivational environments and to examine the subsequent outcomes on participants' cognitive and affective responses. Then we discuss studies influenced by the work of Ames in classroom settings and involving questionnaires to measure individuals' perceptions of 'motivational climates'. The impact of mastery and performance climates on various indices of motivation is narratively reviewed, and statistically estimated effect sizes from 14 studies (n = 4484) are presented as supporting evidence. We conclude that a mastery motivational climate is associated with more adaptive motivational patterns, while a performance climate is linked with less adaptive or maladaptive motivational and affective responses. Future research should determine the personal and situational variables that can moderate the impact of such relationships. Furthermore, a broader perspective is proposed, to understand the creation of perceived motivational climates, which is based on the integration of political, cultural, coaching and parental influences.