Mindfulness extends the trans-contextual model for autonomous motivation in physical education and leisuretime

in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022), 19(20),

Mindfulness is assumed to foster the ability to consistently act in line with one’s authentic self; a skill which has been found to enhance students’ autonomous motivated behavior in the educational ... [more ▼]

Mindfulness is assumed to foster the ability to consistently act in line with one’s authentic self; a skill which has been found to enhance students’ autonomous motivated behavior in the educational context. However, evidence regarding how mindfulness can be integrated into existing conceptual frameworks such as the trans-contextual model is scarce. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the role of mindfulness in students’ autonomous motivation in the school and leisure time contexts. Overall, N = 1877 students (M = 14.74 years, SD = 2.63) indicated their self-reported mindfulness, their perceived need for support in physical education, their autonomous motivation during physical education and leisure time, as well as their perceived behavioral control, attitude, subjective norm, and intention toward physical activity. Physical activity was additionally measured physiologically for n = 240 students using accelerometers. Path model analyses revealed that the inclusion of mindfulness substantially improved the trans-contextual model fit. Perceived autonomy support positively predicted mindfulness, which, in turn, predicted autonomous motivation in physical education and leisure time, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, mediation analyses revealed the significant indirect effects of mindfulness on physiological and self-reported physical activity. Based on these results, mindfulness can be considered a key factor in fostering students’ motivation to become physically active. [less ▲]

Associations between Physical Activity and Mental Health in Iranian Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Accelerometer-Based Study

in Children (2021), 8

Using self-reported questionnaires, several studies found that social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the level of physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents ... [more ▼]

Using self-reported questionnaires, several studies found that social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the level of physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents. Since the objectivity of self-reported PA is limited in several ways, we used modern accelerometers in this study to assess the PA levels of male and female adolescents during the pandemic-related lockdown. Moreover, the association of PA with mental health of the adolescents were analyzed. A total of 136 students (76 girls, mean age of 16.28 ± 0.97 years) from various schools in Iran wore the accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X-BT) for seven consecutive days. Mental health was measured through the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 of Lovibond and Lovibond (1995). Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests were used to analyze the PA levels of male and female students, and linear regressions were computed to examine whether PA predicts mental health status. On average, the daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was 18.47 min, which is clearly below the WHO guideline of at least 60 min of MVPA per day. Only 4% of adolescents showed MVPA for more than 30 min per day. Male students were significantly more active than their female peers (p = 0.015). As expected, MVPA was negatively associated with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, the majority of adolescents reported symptoms of mild-to-moderate mental health disorders. These results emphasize the need for targeted strategies and offerings geared to young people’s needs and preferences to promote an adequate level of PA and good mental health during and after the ongoing pandemic. [less ▲]

Evaluation of basic motor competencies in primary school in Luxembourg

in Popups Université de Liège (2021)

An objective of physical education (PE) is supporting students’ positive motor development. Therefore, it is indispensable for them to be in command of the necessary basic motor competencies (in German ... [more ▼]

An objective of physical education (PE) is supporting students’ positive motor development. Therefore, it is indispensable for them to be in command of the necessary basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) as the prerequisites to be able to participate in the culture of human movement. For the implementation of the MOBAK approach in Luxembourg (MOBAK-LUX), we developed the test instruments MOBAK-LUX-PS for preschoolers, MOBAK-LUX-1 for first graders, MOBAK-LUX-3 for third graders and MOBAK-LUX-5 for fifth graders. These motor tests are conducted on a voluntary basis by interested schools and teachers at the beginning of each school year. In general, about one third of students in the different class levels have support needs in at least one area of basic motor competence. The support needs are prevalent mostly in the area object control and girls generally have lower results than boys, especially in object control. [less ▲]

Age differences in physical activity with regard to motivational regulation types in youth sport

Poster (2020, October 21)

A decline in physical activity (PA) with increasing age has been reported consistently (e.g., Bassett et al., 2015). In this sense, physical education (PE) has become a key issue to intercept youth, in ... [more ▼]

A decline in physical activity (PA) with increasing age has been reported consistently (e.g., Bassett et al., 2015). In this sense, physical education (PE) has become a key issue to intercept youth, in order to promote PA at an early age. To reduce the research gap with regard to the underlying mechanisms of this decline, we investigated the role of age for motivational aspects of the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) concerning scholars’ basic needs (competence, relatedness, autonomy; Vlachopoulos, Ntoumanis, & Smith, 2010), PE teacher need-support (Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2005), and different motivational regulation types during PE (Vlachopoulos, Katartzi, Kontou, Moustaka, & Goudas, 2011). As a transfer of motivational regulation types from PE towards a leisure-time context has been found (Hagger & Chatzisarantis, 2016), this study furthermore analyzed the role of age in an out-of-school PA environment (Markland & Tobin, 2004). In total, 1889 scholars (50.9% males; 10 to 23 years) from 14 different schools participated in the study. Consistent with previous findings, the self-reported PA decreased with age. Further regression analysis revealed that the feeling of being competent during PE decreased with age, while the feeling of being autonomous increased. No differences regarding age and need-support during PE were found. Regarding the motivational regulation types during PE, the internal motivation decreased with age, while the external motivation increased. Concerning the leisure-time context, all motivational regulation types towards PA decreased with age. SEM-Models confirmed the significant relationship between motivational regulation types from PE to a leisure-time context. Overall, results suggest that a decrease of PA with age might be related to a decrease of internal motivation forms as years go by. Implications for promoting beneficial motivational regulation types during PE related to the age of scholars will be displayed. [less ▲]

Sporty summer and lazy winter? PA of youth from a seasonal perspective.

in Dela, Flemming; Müller, Erich; Tsolakidis, Elias (Eds.) Book of Abstracts (2020, October)

Objectives: Many children in Europe are insufficiently active (1), which makes the promotion of children´s physical activity (PA) a critical health promotion target. However, there are some uncontrollable ... [more ▼]

Objectives: Many children in Europe are insufficiently active (1), which makes the promotion of children´s physical activity (PA) a critical health promotion target. However, there are some uncontrollable factors such as amount of daylight, weather conditions, temperatures and precipitation levels that might influence PA behavior (2). Conditions for moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) seem to be optimal when the environmental temperature ranges between 20°C and 25°C (3). This study aims to examine if the season is related to the objectively measured PA of youth of Luxembourg. Methods: 150 youth (90 females and 60 males) aged from 10–17 (M = 12.37, SD = 2.14) years participated in this longitudinal study, which took place at two measurement periods, the first between October and December (winter) and the second between May and July (summer). PA behavior was objectively assessed by wearing an accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X-BT) for seven consecutive days. Daily time spent in MVPA was calculated as an indicator of the youth’s PA behavior. Results: A repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant seasonal effect for MVPA per day (F(1, 1136.66) = 9.14, p < .05, partial η² = .06). More minutes of MVPA per day were accrued in summer (M = 53.24, SD = 21.40) than in winter (M = 49.04, SD = 20.88). Both in winter and in summer, MVPA per day differed significantly between females and males (winter: t(148) = 5.83, p < .001; summer: t(148) = 4.85, p < .001), whereby females (winter: M = 41.70, SD = 15.89; summer: M = 46.79, SD = 17.26) showed significantly fewer minutes in MVPA per day than males (winter: M = 60.05, SD = 22.67; summer: M = 62.91, SD = 23.43). However, there was no significant interaction between season and gender, F(1, 89.85) = .723, p = .397). Discussion: According to the results of this study, youth are less physically active in winter than in summer. Therefore, schools, sports clubs and communities should offer special PA programs for this season, which are independent from climatic conditions and equally suitable for females and males. Measuring PA throughout the year enables to monitor the activity behavior more accurate and may help in developing such programs. [less ▲]

Zur Bedeutsamkeit des Sportunterrichtes: Der Einfluss der Motivation im Sportunterricht auf den außerschulischen Kontext - ein longitudinaler Ansatz

Scientific Conference (2020, May 22)

Hintergrund: Hinsichtlich der kontinuierlichen Abnahme der körperlichen Aktivität von Kindern und Jugendlichen, rückt die Stärkung der Motivation als Ansatz zur Sportaktivierung immer mehr in den Fokus ... [more ▼]

Hintergrund: Hinsichtlich der kontinuierlichen Abnahme der körperlichen Aktivität von Kindern und Jugendlichen, rückt die Stärkung der Motivation als Ansatz zur Sportaktivierung immer mehr in den Fokus (Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2005). In ihrem trans-kontextuellen Modell postulieren Hagger und Chatzisarantis (2016) einen Zusammenhang zwischen intrinsischer Motivation im Sportunterricht und in der Freizeit. Dabei spielt die Unterstützung der Bedürfnisse durch die Sportlehrkraft eine wichtige Rolle, um die intrinsische Motivation der SchülerInnen im Sportunterricht und längerfristig in der Freizeit zu fördern, welche ein selbstbestimmtes körperliches Aktivitätsverhalten begünstigen soll. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden diese Annahmen in erweiterter Form im Längsschnitt geprüft. Methode: Es wurden N = 1681 SchülerInnen zwischen 10 und 23 Jahren (M = 14.7 Jahre; 50.7% weiblich) aus 14 luxemburgischen Schulen zu Beginn des Schuljahres (t1) und sechs Monate später am Ende des Schuljahres (t2) getestet. Neben der wahrgenommenen Bedürfnisunterstützung (Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2005) wurden die Motivationsregulation im Sportunterricht (PLOC-R; Vlachopoulos, Katartzi, Kontou, Moustaka, & Goudas, 2011) und in der Freizeit (BREQ-II; Markland & Tobin, 2004), sowie alle Konstrukte der Theorie des geplanten Handelns (Ajzen, 1991), und die körperliche Aktivität erhoben. Ergebnisse: Cross-Lagged-Panel Analysen zeigen, dass die intrinsische Motivation im Sportunterricht (t1) kontextübergreifend die intrinsische Motivation zur körperlichen Aktivität in der Freizeit (t2) vorhersagt (β = .12, p < .05). Selbiger Befund konnte auch für die Amotivation gefunden werden (β = .15, p < .05). Allerdings wurde kein kontextübergreifender Zusammenhang der extrinsischen Motivation gefunden (p > .05). Entgegen der postulierten Richtung des Modells, sagt eine höhere intrinsische Motivation der SchülerInnen (t1) eine höhere Wahrnehmung der Unterstützung der Grundbedürfnisse durch den Sportlehrer (t2) vorher (β = .10, p < .05). Die intrinsische Motivation in der Freizeit (t1) hängt zudem mit der Einstellung (β = .24, p < .05), subjektiven Norm (β = .11, p < .05), wahrgenommenen Verhaltenskontrolle (β = .12, p < .05), Intention (β = .16, p < .05) und der körperlichen Aktivität (β = .18, p < .05) zu t2 zusammen. Schlussfolgerung: Die Befunde bestätigen die Bedeutsamkeit des Sportunterrichts in dem Sinne, dass die intrinsische Motivation im Sportunterricht die Wahrnehmung der Bedürfnisunterstützung des Sportlehrers erhöht und kontextübergreifend mit der intrinsischen Motivation im Freizeitbereich zusammenhängt, welche wiederum ein selbstbestimmtes körperliches Aktivitätsverhalten in der Freizeit positiv bedingt. Eine Interventionsstudie im Sportunterricht bekräftigt diese Befunde in dem Sinne, dass die Autoren positivere Effekte fanden, wenn, zusätzlich zur alleinigen Autonomieunterstützung, internale Zielsetzungen in der Lehre eingesetzt wurden (Cheon, Reeve, & Song, 2019). [less ▲]

Physical activity of children and adolescents in Luxembourg during school, physical education and leisure time: An accelerometry-based study

Poster (2019, September 13)

Objectives: Due to its great importance for development and health, the physical activity (PA) of children has become a key issue in research over the last decade. Simultaneously, the measurement of PA ... [more ▼]

Objectives: Due to its great importance for development and health, the physical activity (PA) of children has become a key issue in research over the last decade. Simultaneously, the measurement of PA has been strongly improved through the development of user-friendly and reliably working accelerometer, which allow to track PA over several consecutive days in an objective way. Although the benefits of accelerometry are well documented also for children (e.g. Hager et al., 2015), especially cross-national studies such as the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) are still using questionnaires and are focused only on overall or leisure time PA. This study as part of the PALUX project (Physical Activity of Children and Youth in Luxembourg) aims to (1) measure children's daily PA patterns using up-to-date accelerometers while (2) differentiating between PA in school, physical education and leisure time. Methods: In total, 242 children and adolescents (134 girls and 108 boys) aged from 10-18 years from 9 different schools in Luxembourg wore the ActiGraph GT3X-BT- accelerometer at the hip for a period of seven consecutive days. Total time in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was calculated using the cut-of points from Evenson et al. (2008). Time spent in school and physical education were determined based on timetables provided by the schools. Results: Mean overall MVPA of participants over seven consecutive days was 307.6 min, with 98.4 min (32 %) during school time and 190.7 min (62 %) during leisure time. Only 16.7 min (6 %) of the school time MVPA were performed in physical education. Boys had more overall MVPA than girls (367.9 vs. 258.9 min, t(240) = 6.76, p < .01) due to significant differences in all areas considered here (schooltime: t(215) = 6.26, p < .01; leisure time: t(215) = 6.18, p < .01; physical education: t(188) = 3.07, p < .01). Children spent 25.6 min of an average physical education class of 77 min in MVPA, which is 19.71 % and thus much less than the 50 % recommended by the U.S. Department for Health and Human Sciences. Only 0.5% of the participants (1.2% of the boys and 0% of the girls) achieved this value. Discussion: Overall, 25.6 % of the children and adolescents in Luxembourg met WHO's PA guideline of at least 60 min MVPA per day, which is in line with results from other European countries. According to our data, the achieved MVPA is mainly due to leisure time activities, whereas the potential of school and physical education in providing and promoting PA has apparently not been fully exploited yet. The consistency of these findings will be examined in a second survey in 2019 [less ▲]

How is parental activity related to children's physical activity behavior?

Poster (2019, July 18)

Objectives: Social support from parents is considered a primary influence of youth’ physical activity (PA; Beets, Cardinal & Alderman, 2010). However, the mechanisms of parental influence are still poorly ... [more ▼]

Objectives: Social support from parents is considered a primary influence of youth’ physical activity (PA; Beets, Cardinal & Alderman, 2010). However, the mechanisms of parental influence are still poorly understood. As the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1985) is a well-supported theoretical framework to study youth’ engaging in PA, this study wants to investigate if an increased PA of the parents is enhancing the PA of their children and is related to different constructs of the TPB. Method: 264 students (52,6% females) from 11 to 21 years participated in the study. Via a digital questionnaire the students indicated if they are active at least 60 minutes a day, if their mother and father is physically active on a regular basis and if they are active together with their parents. Regarding the TPB, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intentions towards PA were assessed (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Culverhouse & Biddle, 2003). Results: A multivariate ANOVA revealed that children reported higher PA rates, more intense attitudes and higher subjective norms towards PA when the father was physically active and when being active together with their parents. However, the perceived behavioral control was higher when children indicated that their mother was physically active. Discussion: As expected, results suggest that the reported PA of parents are related to the self-reported PA of children, and furthermore to the different constructs of the TPB. Especially fathers seem to be an important role model regarding PA, attitudes and subjective norms toward PA. [less ▲]

Motivationsregulation im Sportunterricht und ihre Relevanz für die körperliche Aktivität in der Freizeit

Scientific Conference (2019, May 30)

Hintergrund: Angesichts der kontinuierlichen Abnahme der körperlichen Aktivität von Kindern und Jugendlichen erweist sich die Stärkung der Motivation im Sportunterricht als ein bedeutsamer Ansatz zur ... [more ▼]

Hintergrund: Angesichts der kontinuierlichen Abnahme der körperlichen Aktivität von Kindern und Jugendlichen erweist sich die Stärkung der Motivation im Sportunterricht als ein bedeutsamer Ansatz zur Sportaktivierung (Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis, 2005). Die Selbstbestimmungstheorie (Deci & Ryan, 2000) postuliert, dass ein eher intrinsischer Regulationstyp sowie ein autonomie-förderndes Klima im Sportunterricht die Intention körperlicher Aktivität steigern. Basierend auf dem trans-kontextuellen Modell (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Culverhouse, & Biddle, 2003) wird in der vorliegenden Studie geprüft, ob der motivationale Regulationstyp aus dem Sportunterricht selbigen hinsichtlich der körperlichen Aktivität im Freizeitbereich vorhersagen kann. Methode: 264 Schüler von 11 bis 21 Jahren (52.6% Mädchen) aus Luxemburg nahmen an der Studie teil. Neben der Bedürfnisunterstützung (Autonomie, Geselligkeit und Kompetenz; Standage, Duda, & Ntoumis, 2005), dem Regulationstyp im Sportunterricht (BPNES; Vlachopoulos, Ntoumanis, & Smith, 2010) sowie zur körperlichen Aktivität in der Freizeit (BREQ-II; Markland & Tobin, 2004) wurde auch die Intention zu körperlicher Aktivität erfasst (Hagger, et al. 2003). Ergebnisse: Eine SEM-Analyse belegt einen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen dem intrinsischen Regulationstyp im Sportunterricht und der intrinsischen Regulation zur körperlichen Aktivität in der Freizeit. Letztere erweist sich hierbei als positiver Prädiktor der Intentionsbildung. Zudem geht die Unterstützung der drei Grundbedürfnisse durch den Sportlehrer mit einer signifikant höheren intrinsischen Regulation sowie niedrigeren Amotivation im Sportunterricht einher. Schlussfolgerung: Die Befunde zeigen auf, dass ein intrinsischer Regulationstyp im Sportunterricht kontextübergreifend mit dem Regulationstyp im Freizeitbereich zusammenhängt, welcher wiederum die Aktivitätsintention erhöht. Die Implikationen dieser Befunde für den Sportunterricht werden im Rahmen des Vortrags diskutiert. [less ▲]

Diagnosis and Monitoring of Basic Motor Competencies among Third-Graders in Luxembourg. An Assessment Tool for Teachers

in Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (2019), 23(3), 258-271

Basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) are performance dispositions empowering children to participate in the movement culture. For the diagnosis of basic motor ... [more ▼]

Basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) are performance dispositions empowering children to participate in the movement culture. For the diagnosis of basic motor competencies, a test instrument consisting of 15 test items for assessing third graders’ basic motor competencies was developed (MOBAK-LUX-3) and validated empirically. Basic motor competencies were operationalized as test items in the form of basic motor qualifications, which are cultural tools formulated as a minimum standard. Data (MOBAK-LUX-3, age, gender, migration background, weight, height, sport club membership, weekly physical activity) were collected in 2015 amongst third-graders in elementary school in Luxembourg (N = 488; 50.4% female; M age = 8.8 years, SD = .51). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure (locomotion, object control, moving in water, object locomotion; CFI = .94; TLI = .92; RMSEA = .036; WRMR = 0.89). Five classes with different competence profiles were determined through latent class analysis. The MOBAK-LUX-3 test instrument satisfies test theory requirements and can be used to determinate motor competence profiles. [less ▲]