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Exercise motivation in an all-boys school in Singapore : a self-determination theory perspective
Author
Lam, George Choon Seng
Supervisor
Koh, Koon Teck
Abstract
Obesity is a rising global problem (World Health Organization, 2013) that is expected to worsen with data showing that governments around the world having to spend more on health-care costs that are related to obesity or overweight issues (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2013). Exercise has been shown to be an effective method in managing weight, promoting physical well-being (Boreham & Riddoch, 2001) and psychological health (Sallis & Patrick, 1994). Understanding the factors that lead to exercise motivation is a key research area that schools would be interested to look into as this would help the school leaders and Physical Education practitioners to implement effect measures to increase the declining physical activity levels of adolescent students as they grow into adulthood.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the exercise motivation of a sample of students in an-all boys Singaporean school using the Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical and conceptual framework. A mixed methods approach was adopted for this study. A total of 382 participants (199 Year One students and 183 Year Three students, Mage = 14.5 years, SD = 0.3) completed the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) Questionnaire. The 3DPAR data collected from this all-boys sample was used to compare against a similar sample collected from a co-educational sample (Lee & Trost, 2006) in Singapore. From the 3DPAR results, 24 participants (Mage = 14.5 years, SD = 0.4), from the highest and lowest activity groups, were selected respectively to do a focus group interviews for qualitative data collection and analysis.
The results show that adolescent boys are more physically active in an all-boys school setting and satisfying their need for competence, autonomy and relatedness can lead to exercise motivation. Conversely, not satisfying these three basic psychological needs can lead to a lack of motivation.
This study managed to add a rich data which allows other researchers to better understand the factors, which would have be otherwise hidden within the data from self-reporting instruments, that promote intrinsic motivation in exercise for adolescents. The three significant findings of this study are: (1) Adolescent boys are more physically active in an all-boys school setting as compared to boys in a coeducational setting, (2) Enjoyment, competence, autonomy on their choice of games to play during recess, opportunities to bond with family and friends, were possible reasons for the exercise motivation of individuals with high PA levels, (3) Low competence, presence of minor medical conditions, lack of autonomy in PE lessons, lack of time and having family that do not exercise regularly to be possible reasons for the lack of motivation of individuals with low PA. Future studies could look into research in different school settings or gender so that effective intervention measures could be devised by schools for their students.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the exercise motivation of a sample of students in an-all boys Singaporean school using the Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical and conceptual framework. A mixed methods approach was adopted for this study. A total of 382 participants (199 Year One students and 183 Year Three students, Mage = 14.5 years, SD = 0.3) completed the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) Questionnaire. The 3DPAR data collected from this all-boys sample was used to compare against a similar sample collected from a co-educational sample (Lee & Trost, 2006) in Singapore. From the 3DPAR results, 24 participants (Mage = 14.5 years, SD = 0.4), from the highest and lowest activity groups, were selected respectively to do a focus group interviews for qualitative data collection and analysis.
The results show that adolescent boys are more physically active in an all-boys school setting and satisfying their need for competence, autonomy and relatedness can lead to exercise motivation. Conversely, not satisfying these three basic psychological needs can lead to a lack of motivation.
This study managed to add a rich data which allows other researchers to better understand the factors, which would have be otherwise hidden within the data from self-reporting instruments, that promote intrinsic motivation in exercise for adolescents. The three significant findings of this study are: (1) Adolescent boys are more physically active in an all-boys school setting as compared to boys in a coeducational setting, (2) Enjoyment, competence, autonomy on their choice of games to play during recess, opportunities to bond with family and friends, were possible reasons for the exercise motivation of individuals with high PA levels, (3) Low competence, presence of minor medical conditions, lack of autonomy in PE lessons, lack of time and having family that do not exercise regularly to be possible reasons for the lack of motivation of individuals with low PA. Future studies could look into research in different school settings or gender so that effective intervention measures could be devised by schools for their students.
Date Issued
2015
Call Number
GV461.5 Lam
Date Submitted
2015