Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:30:21.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Using Self-Determination Theory to Explain Sport Persistence and Dropout in Adolescent Athletes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Tomás García Calvo*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Eduardo Cervelló
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain)
Ruth Jiménez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Damián Iglesias
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Juan Antonio Moreno Murcia
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tomás García Calvo. Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte. Universidad de Extremadura. Avenida de la Universidad s/n. 10071 Cáceres. (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Motivational characteristics are influential in shaping adolescents' desire to persist in sport or to discontinue their sport participation. Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) was utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. This theory examines whether sustained participatory involvement, defined as continued participation in the sport through the next year, was influenced by individuals' self-determined motivation and by the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Four hundred ninety two soccer players between the ages of 13 and 17 years comprised the sample. Results indicated sport dropout was explained by higher levels of amotivation, external regulation, and introjected regulation and by lower satisfaction of relatedness and autonomy needs. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge base on sport dropout as they supported many of self-determination theory.

Los aspectos motivacionales poseen una gran importancia sobre la persistencia o el abandono de la práctica deportiva en los adolescentes. En este estudio, partiendo de la teoría de la autodeterminación (Deci y Ryan, 2000), se trató de comprobar cómo incidían en la persistencia o el abandono los diferentes tipos de motivación y las necesidades psicológicas básicas de autonomía, competencia y relaciones sociales. En el estudio participaron 492 futbolistas, con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y 19 años. Los resultados demuestran que el abandono es explicado por altos niveles de desmotivación, motivación externa e introyectada, y bajos niveles de satisfacción con la autonomía y las relaciones sociales. Estos hallazgos pueden contribuir a conocer mejor el abandono deportivo y minimizarlo a partir de las propuestas de la teoría de autodeterminación.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beal, D. J., Cohen, R. R., Burke, M. J., & McLendon, C. L. (2003). Cohesion and performance in groups: A metaanalytic clarification of construct relations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(6), 9891004.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carron, A. V., Widmeyer, W. N., & Brawley, L. R. (1985). The development of an instrument to assess cohesion in sport teams: The Group Environment Questionnaire. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7(3), 244266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cecchini, J. A., Méndez, A. & Contreras, O. R. (2005). Motivos de abandono de la práctica del deporte juvenil. [Reasons for dropout from youth sport]. Cuenca: Universidad de Castilla-la Mancha.Google Scholar
Cervelló, E. M., Escartí, A., & Guzmán, J. F. (2007). Youth sport dropout from the achievement goal theory. Psicothema, 19, 6571.Google ScholarPubMed
Chirkov, V., Kim, Y., Ryan, R. M., & Kaplan, U. (2003). Differentiating autonomy from individualism and independence: A self-determination theory perspective on internalization of cultural orientations and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(1), 97110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18, 105115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Self-determination research: Reflections and future directions. In Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 431441). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., Eghrari, H., Patrick, B. C., & Leone, D. R. (1994). Facilitating internalization: The self-determination perspective. Journal of Personality, 62, 119142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duda, J. L. (2005). Motivation in sport: The relevance of competence and achievement goals. In Elliot, A. J., & Dweck, C. S. (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 273308). New York: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Dweck, C. S. (2002). The development of ability conceptions. In Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (Eds.), Development of achievement motivation (pp. 5788). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frederick-Recascino, C. M. (2002). Self-determination theory and participation motivation research in the sport and exercise domain. In Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 277294). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.Google Scholar
Frederick-Recascino, C. M., & Ryan, R. M. (1995). Self-determination in sport: A review using cognitive evaluation theory. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 26, 523.Google Scholar
Frederick-Recascino, C. M., & Schuster-Smith, H. (2003). Competition and intrinsic motivation in physical activity: A comparison of two groups. Journal of Sport Behavior, 26(3), 240254.Google Scholar
García Calvo, T.; Leo, F. M.; Martín, E., & Sánchez Miguel, P. A. (2008). El compromiso deportivo y su relación con factores disposicionales y situacionales contextuales de la motivación. Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte, 12(4), 4558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillet, E., Sarrazin, P., Carpenter, P. J., Trouilloud, D., & Cury, F. (2002). Predicting persistence or withdrawal in female handballers with social exchange theory. International Journal of Psychology, 37(2), 92104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martens, R. (1970). Influence of participation motivation on success and satisfaction in team performance. Research Quarterly, 41(4), 510518.Google ScholarPubMed
Mullan, E., & Markland, D. (1997). Variations in self-determination across the stages of change for exercise in adults. Motivation and Emotion, 21(4), 349362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholls, J. G., Patashnick, M., & Nolen, S. B. (1985). Adolescents' theories of education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 683692.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ntoumanis, N. (2005). A prospective study of participation in optional school physical education using a self-determination theory framework. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 444453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ntoumanis, N., Pensgaard, A. M., Martin, C., & Pipe, K. (2004). An idiographic analysis of amotivation in compulsory school physical education. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 26, 197214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nuñez, J. L., Martín-Albo, J., Navarro, J. G., & González, V. M. (2006). Preliminary Validation of a Spanish Version of the Sport Motivation Scale. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 102(3), 919930.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Otis, N., Grouzet, F. M. E., & Pelletier, L. G. (2005). Latent motivational change in an academic setting: A 3-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(2), 170183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelletier, L. G., Fortier, M. S., Vallerand, R. J., & Brière, N. M. (2001). Associations among perceived autonomy support, forms of self-regulation, and persistence: A prospective study. Motivation and Emotion, 25, 279306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelletier, L. G., Fortier, M. S., Vallerand, R. J., Tuson, K. M., Brière, N. M., & Blais, M. R. (1995). Toward a new measure of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation in sports: The sport motivation scale (SMS). Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17, 3553.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinboth, M., & Duda, J. L., (2006). Perceived motivational climate, need satisfaction and indices of well-being in team sports: A longitudinal perspective. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(3), 269286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, G. C. (2001). Understanding the dynamics of motivation in physical activity: The influence of achievement goals and motivational processes. In Roberts, G. C. (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and exercise (pp. 150). Champaign: IL: Human Kinetics.Google Scholar
Robinson, T. T., & Carron, A. V. (1982). Personal and situational factors associated with dropping out versus maintaining participation in competitive sport. Journal of Sport Psychology, 4(4), 364378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and wellbeing. American Psychologist, 55, 6878.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, R. M., Frederick, C. M., Lepes, D., Rubio, N., & Sheldon, K. M. (1997). Intrinsic motivation and exercise adherence. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 28, 335354.Google Scholar
Ryska, T. A., Hohensee, D., Cooley, D., & Jones, C. (2002). Participation motives in predicting sport dropout among Australian youth gymnasts. North American Journal of Psychology, 4(2), 199210.Google Scholar
Sarrazin, P., Vallerand, R., Guillet, E., Pelletier, L., & Cury, F. (2002). Motivation and dropout in female handballers: A 21-month prospective study. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32(3), 395418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., & Ntoumanis, N. (2006). The role of self-determined motivation in the understanding of exerciserelated behaviours, cognitions and physical self-evaluations. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24(4), 393404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In Zanna, M.P. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 29, pp. 271360). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Vallerand, R. J., & Rousseau, F. L. (2001). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in sport and exercise: A review using the hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In Singer, R. N., Hausenblas, H. A., & Janelle, C. M. (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (pp. 389416). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Vallerand, R. J., Fortier, M. S., & Guay, F. (1997). Self-determination and persistence in a real-life setting: Toward a motivational model of high school dropout. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(5), 11611176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, C. K. J., Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Spray, C. M., & Biddle, S. J. H. (2002). Achievement goal profiles in school physical education: Differences in self-determination, sport ability beliefs, and physical activity. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 433445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed