A motivational climate intervention and exercise-related outcomes: A longitudinal perspective.

Abstract

While researchers have suggested that the social context in exercise settings is linked to individuals' physical activity motivation and potential exercise-related outcomes, few research designs have examined the nuance of those relationships. Moreover, interventions targeting the social context of exercise settings are sparse, so the potential impact of staff training on members' motivation to exercise are not well known. Drawing from two major motivation theories, achievement goal perspective theory and self-determination theory, this study considered an intervention with fitness center staff from the members' perspectives. Members completed a survey before and after an intervention designed to help staff create a high caring, task-involving, and low ego-involving motivational climate. Using a half-longitudinal structural equation model, participants' perceptions of the motivational climate, basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and exercise experiences (including commitment to exercise, life satisfaction, body image) were modeled pre-post intervention. The model revealed significant latent mean differences for post-intervention constructs, with participants experiencing a more positive motivational climate, higher competence and relatedness, intrinsic motivation, commitment, life satisfaction, and body image. The final mediation model demonstrated tenable fit, with perceptions of climate having significant, direct and indirect effects on commitment, life satisfaction, and body image. Our study supports that the motivational climate contributes to an optimal social context for exercise where basic psychological needs are nurtured, intrinsic motivation is fostered, and individuals experience well-being benefits, including increased life satisfaction. Further, short and targeted training meetings with fitness center staff can result in members' perceiving a significant change in the motivational climate.

The Relationship Between College Students’ Perceptions of Their Campus Recreation Center Climate to Their Thriving in Physical Activity

“…The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between college students’ perceptions of the climate at their CRC to their feelings of thriving, effort, and enjoyment within that setting. Results revealed strong support for the hypothesized relationships among the variables and aligned with previous CRC research (Brown et al, 2015; Brown & Fry, 2015b: Scott et al, 2021).…”

“…Pre- and post-tests revealed that members’ perceptions of the staff and their own positive behaviors increased significantly after the intervention. Researchers have reported several additional influential outcomes, such as commitment to exercise, positive body image, life satisfaction, perceived competence, higher effort and enjoyment, self-esteem, objective performance, intrinsic forms of motivational regulation, positive affect, adaptive practice and competitive strategies, moral attitudes, and the experience of flow (Brown et al, 2015; Harwood et al, 2015; Hogue et al, 2017).…”

Collegiate Sport Club Athletes’ Psychological Well-Being and Perceptions of Their Team Climate

“…A sample item is "On this team, athletes feel welcome every day", and athletes responded to the items using a 5-point Likerttype scale (1 ¼ strongly disagree and 5 ¼ strongly agree). Previous research has found the CCS to be internally reliable among college-aged participants (a ¼ .96; Brown et al, 2017;a ¼ .92, Newton et al, 2007).…”

Construction and evaluation of a mindfulness-based quality of life and well-being program (MQW) in a randomized trial

“…Interventions which give participants both information and the skills to positively change their behaviours (Fishbach & Hofmann, 2015;Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009) result in increased quality of life (Bonow et al, 2012;Folette et al, 2001). As such, the Mindfulness-based Quality of Life and Well-Being Program (MQW) was made up of both psychoeducation and interactive exercises, and participants were invited to apply the program to their life circumstances so as to consolidate treatment gains (Brown et al, 2017).…”