Perceived Performance, Intrinsic Motivation and Adherence in Athletes

Abstract

Sports performance depends on a complex interaction of variables, such as psychological, physical, technical and tactical abilities. The purpose of the three studies described in this article was to validate an instrument to measure perceived performance in athletes (studies 1 and 2), and to analyze the predictive power of perceived performance, basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation on the intention to be physically active (which was used as a predictor of adherence to sport) (study 3). In study 1, the Perceived Performance in Sports Questionnaire was validated in the Spanish sports context, analyzing its factorial structure, reliability, and temporal stability with 146 soccer players. The objective of study 2 was to check the factorial structure of the questionnaire with an objective performance measure (points scored and time played). The sample was 180 young basketball players. The objective of study 3 was to analyze the predictive power of basic psychological needs in exercise, intrinsic motivation, and perceived performance on the intention to be physically active in 339 athletes of fifteen different sports. The results show the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, and positive correlations with the points scored. Finally, the analysis of the structural equation model showed that the satisfaction of the need for competence predicted perceived performance and intrinsic motivation predicted perceived performance and intention to remain physically active.

Predicting Perceived Sport Performance via Self-Determination Theory

“…This instrument consists of five items of a single factor (e.g., “I believe my performance is good”). All items are given on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree) with the following phrase preceding each item, “In general, when I practice my sport during competition...” The Cronbach’s alpha for this scale’s reliability was found to be .88 (Lourenço et al, 2018); and in separate research, the Spanish version of the questionnaire also obtained good psychometric properties (Almagro et al, 2020).…”

“…Therefore, our main objective in this research was to study the predictive power of autonomy support on the athletes’ basic psychological needs, their autonomous motivation, and their perceived performance. Based on this objective and on prior research results (Almagro et al, 2020; Gillet et al, 2010; Jowett et al, 2017; Pope & Wilson, 2012; 2015; Pulido et al, 2018), we formulated the following hypothesis: The coach’s autonomy support, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation will significantly predict the athletes’ perceived performance. In addition, based on the differences found in some studies on the athlete’s motivation as a function of gender (Amado et al, 2014; Deaner et al, 2016; Fortier et al, 1995), we sought to analyze the separate influence of the athlete’s gender in the proposed structural equation model.…”

Motivational Processes Influencing Mental Health Among Winter Sports Athletes in China

“…SDT claims that the more self-determined the motivation, the more favorable the results (Vallerand, 1997). In sports, selfdetermining motivation is linked to a series of results, such as dropout (Pelletier et al, 2001), effort (Pope and Wilson, 2012), engagement (Podlog et al, 2015), persistence (Rottensteiner et al, 2015), enjoyment (Russell et al, 2017), burnout (Fagundes et al, 2021), perceived performance (Almagro et al, 2020), and mental health (Sheehan et al, 2018). These studies supported that the direct or indirect relationships between motivation and mental health during physical exercise are of great importance, and this complex association continues to arouse the interest of researchers.…”

Intrinsic motivation in exercise: A concept analysis

“…Researchers in the areas of physical activity (PA) and exercise have examined IM as a factor affecting participation and performance. Recently, it has been reported that IM was predictive of performance for athletes and their desire to continue engaging in PA 13 . Others found that lack of motivation was a main limitation of engaging in exercise programs 14 .…”