Motivational Responses to Fitness Testing by Award Status and Gender

Abstract

Fitness testing is a prominent element in many physical education programs, but there has been limited investigation concerning motivation constructs associated with the testing. This study investigated the relationships among physical education students' award status and gender to achievement goals, intrinsic motivation, and intentions. After they had completed a battery of fitness tests, 123 fifth-grade physical education students were classified into two groups: those who received awards and those who did not. They completed a series of questionnaires assessing motivational constructs. Analyses of variance revealed that students who received a fitness award reported higher levels of task-involvement, perceived competence, effort, enjoyment, and future intention than those who did not. Boys reported higher levels of ego-involvement than girls, but no other gender differences were evident. The findings from this study can be used to inform practitioners, test designers, and researchers about the ways fitness testing programs can be structured so that all students receive the potential benefits from participating in such assessments.

Fitness Testing for Children: Let’s Mount the Zebra!

“…We argue that the troublesome decline in healthrelated fitness 1-7 is a major public health concern, and urge to give the UK's former CMO's recommendation for routine fitness testing in schools due consideration. 16 All the same, we agree that valid concerns have been raised for the vast potential for negative experiences of fitness testing, particularly for the overweight and/or less fit individuals; poor performance, in the wrong context, can be detrimental to physical self-concept, 36,37 and reinforce low PA. 21,35 However, we believe that this is not an inevitable consequence of fitness testing and depends on the skills and knowledge of the test administrators, as well as the context in which fitness testing is carried out. Indeed, it is thanks to the ongoing debate-academic and public-that we can suggest ways by which to overcome concerns, and furthermore, recognize the opportunities for effective and engaging health education, as well as health-and PA promotion that comes with school-based fitness testing.…”

“…Although there is little empirical evidence to support this notion, 35 there are limited reports of negative psychosocial consequences of fitness testing, such as embarrassment or teasing by other children. 36 More specifically, a survey of more than 2500 PE teachers, who administered the FITNESSGRAM in Texas, revealed that approximately 25% reported observing some negative consequences of fitness testing, 37 while in another report, few PE teachers reported such incidents.…”

“…Domangue and Solmon 35 highlighted this when examining the association between 5th grade children's motivational constructs and attaining awards based on achieving norm-referenced fitness standards. Achievement goals, intrinsic motivation and future intention to participate were significantly lower in those who did not receive the awards.…”

“…Achievement goals, intrinsic motivation and future intention to participate were significantly lower in those who did not receive the awards. Domangue and Solmon 35 suggested that this would serve to accentuate gaps in fitness between high-and low-performing children by influencing motivation to participate in sports. Implicitly, these findings also demonstrate the potential for positive fitness test feedback as a tool to enhance intrinsic motivation for PA.…”

Adolescents’ Interest and Performances in Aerobic Fitness Testing

“…Recently, a gender difference in motivation was also found in fitness testing. Boys and girls seemed to have slightly different motivational responses to fitness testing such that boys reported higher ego involvement than girls (Domangue & Solmon, 2010).…”