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Competitive Swimmers’ Interpretation of Motivational Climate. Rebecca C. Trenz, M.A. Fordham University Psychology of Motivation. Background Motivational Orientation in the Classroom.
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Competitive Swimmers’ Interpretation of Motivational Climate Rebecca C. Trenz, M.A.Fordham University Psychology of Motivation
BackgroundMotivational Orientation in the Classroom • Much of the research on developing appropriate motivational goals in the classroom points to the importance of creating a mastery orientated climate that is salient to the student. • A motivational climate that places value on effort, enhances perceived competence and self-efficacy beliefs, fosters intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and persistence is recommended. • The type of motivational orientation a student adopts is at least partially dependent on how the student interprets the reality of the classroom environment (Ames & Archer, 1988). • Ames (1992) illustrates three categories that are central elements in the design of the classroom environment that promote a mastery orientation: tasks, evaluation and recognition, and authority.
BackgroundMotivational Orientation in Sport • Roberts and Treasure (1995) assert that adults play an important role in creating the motivational climate for their athletes. • When athletes adopt a mastery orientation in sport, they are more satisfied, enjoy their experience, and adopt adaptive achievement strategies. • Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are positively correlated with the perception of the coach’s mastery orientation across the season (Reinboth & Duda, 2004). • Characteristics of the mastery oriented coach are praising an athlete’s personal progress, valuing everyone’s role on the team, and an over-all task-involved climate.
Research Questions • Can swimmers accurately identify motivational climate? • What characteristics of the motivational climate do swimmers prefer?
Method • Participants • 150 competitive swimmers(75 male, 75 female); mean age 15 • All participants are members of USA Swimming from the Metropolitan area. • Procedure • Swimmers will complete this experiment via an internet website. • After consent is obtained swimmers will be given a login ID to enter the website. • Demographic data will be collected (age, gender, ability). • Swimmers will be randomly assigned to view one of two coaching videos. • Mastery Coach or Performance Coach • Swimmers will complete PMCSQ-2 and open-ended questions. • A debriefing statement will follow the completion of the questionnaires.
Materials • Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 • PMCSQ-2; Newton, et al., 2000 • 33-item measure • Stem “On this team…” and is followed by a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). • Mastery oriented scale includes 17 items e.g. “On this team, trying hard is rewarded” • Performance oriented scale includes 16 items e.g. “On this team, the coach gives most of his or her attention to the ‘stars’ ”
Materials • Open-Ended Questionnaire • What was the coach doing in the video? • Why was the coach doing what she was doing in the video? • What characteristics did you like about the coach in the video? • What characteristics did you dislike about the coach in the video? • Are there any characteristics of the coach that you would change? • Are there any characteristics of the coach that you thought were missing and you would like to add? • How did you feel about the coaching style depicted in the video? • Would you like to have this coach as your own? • Why or why not?
Data Analysis • PMCSQ-2 • Two mean scores are obtained: • Mastery oriented climate and performance oriented climate • Open-Ended Questionnaire • Responses will be coded into one of four categories: • Utility (e.g. what to do and how to do it) • Mastery (e.g. understanding of task, task enjoyment) • Performance (e.g. overt evaluations of performance, or comparisons of performance) • Social (e.g. statements referring to interpersonal relationships)
Results Summary • Swimmers who watch the mastery oriented coach will have significantly higher mean scores on the mastery climate subscale of the PMCSQ-2 than swimmers who watch the performance oriented coach. • Swimmers who watch the performance oriented coach will have significantly higher mean scores on the performance climate subscale of the PMCSQ-2 than swimmers who watch the mastery oriented coach. • Responses to the open-ended question will be coded into four categories: Mastery Performance Social Utility
Conclusions • The motivational climate that the coach establishes through cues and feedback affects the motivational goals that the athlete will adopt. • To enhance a mastery oriented climate in the competitive sport setting, coaches should evaluate athletes based on personal improvement and effort, as well as demonstrate and emphasize the importance of interpersonal skills. • The development of a social component may speak to the importance of the interpersonal relationship between coach and swimmer. • The interpersonal relationship between a coach and a swimmer may be an integral part of the mastery oriented climate that is often overlooked in sport and may ultimately translate into psychological benefits for the swimmer.