Wang, John Chee Keng

Building upon tenets of the theory of planned behavior, the present study examined whether school-based intervention programs that aimed to change attitudes, perceptions of control, or both attitudes and perceptions of control in combination, was successful in promoting participation in leisure time physical activities. Participants were 13 72 pupils recruited from 10 secondary schools and exercised for less than 3-days per week in the previous month. Using a cluster-randomized design, participants were presented with one of the intervention conditions each lasting 10 minutes delivered as part of physical education classes twice per week over a period of 8 weeks. The interventions included: (i) an attitude-based intervention that targeted salient behavioral beliefs; (ii) a second attitude-based intervention that targeted non-salient behavioral beliefs; (iiz) a control-based intervention program that targeted salient control beliefs; and (iv) a combined intervention program that targeted both salient control beliefs and salient behavioral beliefs. Results indicated that while all of the intervention programs resulted in increased participation in leisure time physical activity, the combined intervention program targeting change in attitudes and perceptions of control was least effective. Overall, the findings suggest that schools and teachers can promote leisure time physical activity through brief, cost-effective interventions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport experiences and psychological needs satisfaction of Singapore high school athletes who were involved in inter-school competition. A total of 1250 school athletes from 22 sports participated in the study. The athletes were between 13 and 18 years old and had an average of 3 years of experience in school sport (SD=.18). Cluster analysis was employed to identify homogenous groups based on the seven developmental experiences domains of the Youth Experience Survey (YES 2.0; Hansen & Larson, 2005). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether differences existed among the clusters in terms of psychological needs satisfaction (i.e., sense of autonomy, perceived competence and relatedness). The results of the cluster analysis showed that there were different subgroups of athletes with distinct developmental experiences, and they varied in the degree to which their psychological needs were satisfied. Generally, subgroups that had high levels of positive experiences and low levels of negative experiences in sport had better fulfillment of psychological needs. It is important to ensure that policies and programmes are formulated, delivered and monitored effectively to promote positive experiences for youth who are involved in competitive sports.

The present study tested the cross-cultural generalizability of the measurement and structural parameters of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) among youth in a physical activity context. Pupils from five cultural groups completed measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions for physical activity. Five weeks later, participants completed self-report measures of physical activity behavior. Confirmatory factor analyses and multi sample structural equation models revealed well-fitting models within each sample with minimal variations in the measurement parameters across cultures. There were a few significant cross-cultural differences in the structural relations among the TPB constructs. Attitudes predicted intentions in all samples (β range = .300 to .550), whereas the effect of the subjective norms on intention was nonsignificant in all but the Hungarian sample (β = .243). Conversely, the effect of PBC on intentions was significant (β range = .302 to .573) in all but the Hungarian sample. Findings support the generalizability of the measures and pattern of effects for the TPB among young people in a physical activity context.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 3 x 2 achievement goal questionnaire for sport. A total of 475 university athletes (263 males, 212 females), ranging from 20 to 29 years of age (M = 24.27, SD = 2.30) took part in the study. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the measurement model of the 3 x 2 achievement goal questionnaire as well as the invariance of the measurement model across gender and type of sport. There were inconsistent loadings to the hypothesised latent factors in the uncorrelated-trait and uncorrelated-method to support the existence of the dual meaning models. Generally, the 3 x 2 achievement goals were linked to other key variables central to the achievement goal literature in a theoretically coherent manner. This study supported the use of the 3 x 2 achievement goal measure in the sport domain. Finally, the findings suggest some cultural differences between Singaporean and Western athletes in the conceptualization of approach and avoidance tendencies.

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire - Version H (LEQ-H), an instrument for the assessment of life skills in project work (PW) context with Singaporean students. Specifically, we examined the internal consistency, as well as discriminant and convergent validity of the subscales in LEQ-H. Second, I've tested the proposed measurement model against four other alternative models and confirmed with a second sample. In addition, I've examined the invariance of the measurement tool across gender. A total of 1,264 secondary school students were recruited from nine typical government funded co-educational secondary schools in Singapore. All the subscales had adequate internal consistency but two subscales lacked convergent validity. Five competing models were compared using confirmatory factor analyses. The results provide evidence of a seven first-order measurement model of the LEQ-H. Multi-group analysis demonstrated invariance of the factor forms, factor loadings, factor variances, and factor covariances, error variances and disturbances across gender. In summa!)', the findings affirm that the LEQ-H, with the seven first-order measurement model, can be an appropriate measurement tool to assess the effects of PW on students' life skills such as time management, social competence, achievement motivation, task leadership, emotional control, active initiative and self-confidence.

The purposes of this study were to validate the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ-S) and examine the physical self-description profiles using Latent Profile Analysis with a Chinese sample. A total of 744 secondary school students in China took part in the study. While the results provided support for internal reliability and discriminant validity of the PSDQ-S, they indicated that convergent validity required further testing. In addition, three distinct profiles were identified with unique physical self-concept and different levels of physical activity participation. The study showed that the PDSQ-S is useful in differentiating groups of adolescents with different levels of physical self-concept.

The purpose of this study was to examine individual- and classroom-level differences in the longitudinal change in motivational regulations during physical education students’ transition from elementary (Grade 6) across middle school (Grades 7 to 9). A sample of 757 Finnish adolescents (M = 12.71, SD = 0.23) participated in this study. Participants of the study responded to questionnaires collected six times. A multilevel latent growth modelling approach was used to analyze the data. Results showed that motivational regulations in physical education developed at different rates during middle school. More specifically, students’: (a) identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9; (b) amotivation increased during middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7; and (c) introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. The changes in amotivation and introjected regulation were largely due to individual factors, whereas the changes in identified regulation were due to environmental factors.

The use of information and communications technology in physical activity intervention programmes has been found to be effective in some instances. We conducted a field study to examine the changes to activity level and psychological consequences of incorporating social network interactions into physical activity intervention programme using the self-determination theory framework. Sixty-two students from a local university in Singapore were allocated into four groups comprising a control group, a 3 hours physical activity intervention group, a 3 hours physical activity intervention group linked via Facebook, and a 1 hour physical exercise intervention group linked via Facebook. Measures on the level of physical activity, perceived autonomy, competency, relatedness, enjoyment and vitality were taken before and after the intervention programme. Repeated ANOVA and MANOVA analyses were conducted. The results showed that participants in the two groups with the 3 hours physical activity intervention reported a significant increase in the level of physical activity level compared to participants in other groups. Although the use of social network sites did not have any material effect on the physical intervention programmes, it enhanced competence and enjoyment in the activity. This suggests that the use of social network sites in physical activity intervention programmes yielded some positive psychological effects but the maximization of benefits need to be studied further.

Wu-wei is an important construct but is rarely discussed in the sport psychology literature. The present discussion fills the gap in literature and provides a conceptual overview of the wu-wei alternative. After explaining wu-wei briefly, the current state of mindfulness research is discussed to highlight the lack of research in understanding wu-wei and non-striving in sport psychology. In addition, the links between wu-wei and relevant constructs including mindfulness, non-striving, flow, nonduality, Zen, Mushin, motivation, goals, and implicit learning were clarified. Furthermore, suggestions on incorporating wu-wei as part of mindfulness training for athletes and possible future research directions are provided. In this difficult time of the global pandemic, wu-wei or non-striving mindset can help supporting athletes’ well-being and pursuit of goals beyond winning and striving.