Competitive Swimmers

1
Competitive Swimmers Interpretation of
Motivational Climate

• Rebecca C. Trenz, M.A.Fordham University
• Psychology of Motivation

2
Background Motivational 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.

3
Background Motivational 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
  coachs mastery orientation across the season
  (Reinboth Duda, 2004).
• Characteristics of the mastery oriented coach are
  praising an athletes personal progress, valuing
  everyones role on the team, and an over-all
  task-involved climate.

4
Research Questions

1. Can swimmers accurately identify motivational
   climate?
2. What characteristics of the motivational climate
   do swimmers prefer?

5
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.

6
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

7
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?

8
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)

9
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
10
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.