This study investigated determinants of active lifestyles in Singaporean university students. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a measure of lay beliefs concerning athletic ability was confirmed. Other results confirmed hypotheses that beliefs reflecting that athletic ability can be developed over time (incremental beliefs) predict an achievement task (selfreferenced) orientation, while beliefs reflecting that athletic ability is relatively stable (entity beliefs) predict an ego (otherperson, comparative) orientation. Goal orientations directly affect perceived competence which, in turn, influence intrinsic motivation to be physically active. A task orientation had a direct link to intrinsic motivation. Results suggest that intrinsic motivation towards sport and physical activity might be enhanced through interventions that focus on self-referenced and selfimprovement notions of ability as well as perceived competence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bentler, P. M. (1995). EQS: Structural equations program manual. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software Inc.
2.
Bentler, P. M., & Wu, E. (1998). EQS for Windows V5.7. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software .
3.
Biddle, S. J. H. (1997a). Cognitive theories of motivation and the physical self. In K. R. Fox (Ed.), The physical self: From motivation to well-being(pp. 59–82). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
4.
Biddle, S. J. H. (1997b). Current trends in sport and exercise psychology research . The Psychologist: Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 10(2), 63–69 .
5.
Biddle, S. J. H. (1999). Motivation and perceptions of control: Tracing its development and plotting its future in exercise and sport psychology . Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 21, 1–23 .
6.
Biddle, S. J. H. (2001). Enhancing motivation in physical education. In G. C. Roberts (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and exercise(pp. 101–127). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
7.
Biddle, S. J. H., Akande, A., Vlachopoulos, S., & Fox, K. (1996). Towards an understanding of children’s motivation for physical activity: Achievement goal orientations, beliefs about sport success, and sport emotion in Zimbabwean children . Psychology and Health, 12, 49–55 .
8.
Biddle, S. J. H., Soos, I., & Chatzisarantis, N. (1999). Predicting physical activity intentions using a goal perspectives approach: A study of Hungarian youth . Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 9, 353–357 .
9.
Bouchard, C., Shephard, R. J., & Stephens, T. (Eds.). (1994). Physical activity, fitness and health: International proceedings and consensus statement. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
10.
Byrne, B. M. (1994). Testing for the factorial validity, relication, and invariance of a measuring instrument: A paradigmatic application based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory . Multivariate Behavioral Research, 29, 289–311 .
11.
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Hagger, M. S., Biddle, S. J. H., & Karageorghis, C. (2002). The cognitive processes by which perceived locus of causality predicts participation in physical activity . Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 685–699 .
12.
Conner, M., & Norman, P. (Eds.) (1996). Predicting health behaviour. Buckingham: Open University Press .
13.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press .
14.
Duda, J. L. (2001). Achievement goal research in sport: Pushing the boundaries and clarifying some misunderstandings. In G. C. Roberts (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and exercise(pp. 129–182). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
15.
Duda, J. L., & Hall, H. (2001). Achievement goal theory in sport: Recent extensions and future directions. In R. N. Singer, H. A. Hausenblas, & C. M. Janelle (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology(pp. 417–443). New York: Wiley .
16.
Duda, J. L., & Whitehead, J. (1998). Measurement of goal perspectives in the physical domain. In J. L. Duda (Ed.), Advances in sport and exercise psychology measurement(pp. 21–48). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology .
17.
Dweck, C. (1992). The study of goals in psychology . Psychological Science, 3, 165–167 .
18.
Dweck, C. (1996). Implicit theories as organizers of goals and behavior. In P. Gollwitzer & J. Bargh (Eds.), The Psychology of action(pp. 69–90). New York: Guilford Press .
19.
Dweck, C. (1999). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis .
20.
Dweck, C., Chiu, C. Y., & Hong, Y. Y. (1995). Implicit theories and their role in judgments and reactions: A world from two perspectives . Psychological Inquiry, 6, 267–285 .
21.
Dweck, C., & Leggett, E. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality . Psychological Review, 95, 256–273 .
22.
Fox, K. R., & Corbin, C. B. (1989). The Physical Self Perception Profile: Developent and preliminary validation . Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 408–430 .
23.
Holye, R. H., & Panter, A. T. (1995). Writing about structural equation models. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications(pp. 158–176). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications .
24.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives . Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55 .
25.
McAuley, E., Duncan, T., & Tammen, V. V. (1989). Psychometric properties of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory in a competitive sport setting: A confirmatory factor analysis . Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 60, 48–58 .
26.
Morris, J. N. (1994). Exercise in the prevention of coronary heart disease: Today’s best buy in public health . Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26, 807–814 .
27.
Nicholls, J. G. (1989). The competitive ethos and democratic education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press .
28.
Powell, K. E. (1997). Population attributable risk of physical inactivity. In A. S. Leon (Ed.), Physical activity and cardiovascular health: A national consensus(pp. 40–46). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
29.
Rawsthorne, L. J., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Achievement goals and intrinsic motivation: A meta-analytic review . Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 326–344 .
30.
Roberts, G. C. (Ed.) (2001). Advances in motivation in sport and exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .
31.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being . American Psychologist, 55, 68–78 .
32.
Sallis, J. F., Prochaska, J. J., & Taylor, W. C. (2000). A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents . Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32, 963–975 .
33.
Sallis, J. F., Simons-Morton, B. G., Stone, E. J., Corbin, C. B., Epstein, L. H., Faucette, N., et al. (1992). Determinants of physical activity and interventions in youth . Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24(6, Suppl.), S248–S257 .
34.
Sarrazin, P., Biddle, S., Famose, J. P., Cury, F., Fox, K., & Durand, M. (1996). Goal orientations and conceptions of the nature of sport ability in children: A social cognitive approach . British Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 399–414 .
35.
Treasure, D., & Roberts, G. C. (1995). Applications of achievement goal theory to physical education: Implications for enhancing motivation . Quest, 47, 475–489 .
36.
Viira, R., & Raudsepp, L. (2000). Achievement goal orientations, beliefs about sport success and sport emotions as related to moderate to vigorous physical activity of adolescents . Psychology and Health, 15, 625–633 .
37.
Vilhjalmsson, R., & Kristjansdottir, G. (2003). Gender differences in physical activity in older children and adolescents: The central role of organised sport . Social Science and Medicine, 56, 363–374 .
38.
Wang, C. K. J., & Biddle, S. J. H. (2001). Young people’s motivational profiles in physical activity: A cluster analysis . Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 23, 1–22 .
