Mediating the Relationship Between Motivational Climate and Intrinsic Motivation in Collegiate Physical Activity Courses

Abstract

Global populations struggle with meeting recommended guidelines for physical activity. Americans are urged to achieve 60 minutes per day and 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity to maintain a healthful lifestyle and to combat chronic disease. However, adolescents and college-age youth are not meeting these recommendations. In an effort to combat physical inactivity, one theory is to make physical activity intrinsically motivating for participants by intentionally influencing the motivational climate surrounding the activity. The basic psychological needs theory, a subtheory within self-determination theory, and the psychological needs of autonomy, competency, and relatedness potentially mediate the relationship between motivational climates and intrinsic motivation. Addressing the potential mediating effect of each of these three constructs, results provided evidence to support previous literature that autonomy plays a causal role in mediating the relationship. Competency and relatedness also provided significant and positive indirect effects, although not to the same level as autonomy. This study examined the relationship between motivational climate and intrinsic motivation by testing the mediation effects of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competency, and relatedness. Assessing the psychometric properties of the Basic Psychological Needs-Physical Education instrument, relating to a different population, might provide insight into new ways to study college students.