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The Self-Presentation Motives for Physical Activity Questionnaire: Instrument Development and Preliminary Construct
Timothy C Howle1, James A Dimmock, Peter R Whipp
1School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology
|August 13, 2015
Summary
This study introduces the Self-presentation Motives for Physical Activity Questionnaire (SMPAQ) to measure how people manage impressions in exercise settings. The SMPAQ effectively identifies four distinct self-presentation motives in physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology of Physical Activity
- Social Psychology
- Sport Psychology
Background:
- Impression management is crucial in physical activity settings, influencing engagement and behavior.
- Existing measures may not fully capture the nuances of self-presentation motives in diverse physical activity contexts.
- Understanding these motives is key to developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a theoretically derived instrument measuring context-specific self-presentation motives in physical activity.
- To introduce the Self-presentation Motives for Physical Activity Questionnaire (SMPAQ).
- To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the SMPAQ.
Main Methods:
- Instrument development involved item generation and expert review (Study 1).
- The SMPAQ was administered to group exercise class attendees (N=206, Study 2) and high school physical education students (N=463, Study 3).
- Confirmatory factor analysis and correlational analyses were used to assess factor structure and construct validity.
Main Results:
- Factor analyses supported the intended four-factor structure of the SMPAQ: acquisitive-agentic, acquisitive-communal, protective-agentic, and protective-communal motives.
- Preliminary evidence for construct validity was found.
- Self-presentation motives were significantly associated with impression motivation, social anxiety, social and achievement goals, efficacy beliefs, and engagement.
Conclusions:
- The Self-presentation Motives for Physical Activity Questionnaire (SMPAQ) is a promising tool for measuring distinct self-presentation motives in physical activity contexts.
- The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of impression management within physical activity.
- The SMPAQ can be utilized in research and practice to explore the role of self-presentation in physical activity settings.
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