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Motivational predictors of children's involvement in out‐of‐school activities: An application of a football program
Author(s) -
Madsen Esben Elholm,
Krustrup Peter,
Hansen Tina,
Aggestrup Charlotte Sandager,
Ntoumanis Nikos,
Larsen Carsten Hvid,
Pfeffer Kristina,
Ivarsson Andreas,
Ryom Knud,
Larsen Malte Nejst,
Madsen Mads,
Madsen Jeppe Elholm,
Elbe AnneMarie
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.14236
Subject(s) - danish , mediation , structural equation modeling , football , psychology , path analysis (statistics) , developmental psychology , medicine , statistics , mathematics , law , philosophy , linguistics , political science
The “11 for Health in Denmark” in‐school educational football program has shown to have numerous positive physiological and psychological effects in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. A key part of the successful application of the program, however, has not yet been examined, namely the motivational processes underlying participation and behavioral changes. This study examined such motivational processes (i.e., autonomous motivation, beliefs, and intentions) using the trans‐contextual model (TCM) and investigated if the 11 for Health in Denmark program increased intentions to participate in physical activity (PA) outside of school in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. Using a web‐based questionnaire, Danish‐speaking schoolchildren ( N = 276 [boys, 50.4%]; M age = 10.44, SD = 0.35) from three schools and seven classes completed TCM‐based questionnaires at three time‐points (weeks 0, 1, and 5) while participating in the 11 for Health in Denmark program. Single‐indicator structural equation modeling was performed to examine goodness‐of‐fit and parameter estimates. A path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the TCM model. The results partly supported a mediation sequence, as we found significant direct effects in eight of 13 motivational variables ( β = −0.25–0.83, p < 0.05), indirect effects in one of nine variables ( β = 0.15, p < 0.01), but no effects with regard to PA behavior. Findings provide evidence for a motivational link between Danish‐speaking schoolchildren's autonomous and controlled motivation from in school to out of school, and may inform future interventions promoting motivation and participation in out of school PA.