Amotivation in physical education: Relationships with physical self-concept and teacher ratings of attainment
European Physical Education Review
Published online on August 02, 2013
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Amotivation Inventory in Physical Education (AI-PE). In addition, the study sought to identify the relationships between students’ amotivation, physical self-concept, and teacher ratings of National Curriculum attainment levels in PE. Students (N = 510) from a secondary school in South-East England participated in the study by completing a questionnaire during their scheduled PE lesson. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the factorial validity of the four-dimensional model of amotivation. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted on a sub-sample of students with moderate to high levels of amotivation in PE (n = 164). The results showed that both physical self-concept (negatively) and attainment (positively) were predicted by students’ deficient ability beliefs. Overall, the findings support the multidimensionality of amotivation and its association with important outcomes in PE.