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Self-determination in sport commitment
Panayotis Zahariadis1, Haralambos Tsorbatzoudis, Konstantinos Alexandris
1Sport Psychology Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|July 11, 2006
Summary
Self-determination theory significantly supports young athletes' sport commitment, particularly through intrinsic motivation. Low self-determination and amotivation were found to reduce commitment in athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sport Psychology
- Youth Sports Research
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing sustained participation in youth sports is crucial.
- Self-determination theory and sport commitment theory offer frameworks for analyzing athlete motivation and persistence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the utility of self-determination and sport commitment theories in explaining sport commitment among young athletes.
- To investigate the relationships between different types of motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, amotivation) and sport commitment.
Main Methods:
- Survey research involving 343 young athletes (mean age 13.5 years) from various team sports.
- Utilized the Sport Motivation Scale and the Sport Commitment Questionnaire.
- Employed Pearson correlations and path analysis to assess theoretical models.
Main Results:
- A strong positive correlation was found between intrinsic motivation and sport commitment.
- Extrinsic motivation showed no significant correlation, while amotivation exhibited a negative correlation with commitment.
- Enjoyment played a mediating role in psychological commitment, while social constraints and involvement opportunities were not significant predictors.
Conclusions:
- High self-determination positively influences sport commitment in young athletes.
- Intrinsic motivation is a key driver of sport commitment, whereas amotivation undermines it.
- Interventions aimed at fostering enjoyment and intrinsic motivation may enhance youth sport persistence.
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