The influence of the quality of childhood sports participation experiences on adult motivation to be physically active

As efforts to promote greater participation in physical activity among adults have focussed on targeting childhood patterns of physical activity, it is important to evaluate the assumed relationship between childhood and adulthood patterns of physical activity. In the studies in this thesis an examination was made of whether adult motivation to engage in physical activity is influenced by the perceived quality of experiences with sports participation in childhood and adolescence. In a pilot study, a measure of perceived quality of childhood and adolescent sports participation experiences was developed. Young adults were asked by questionnaire to rate their childhood and adolescent sports participation experiences on a variety of items. From these responses, measures of the quality of childhood and adolescent sports participation experiences were validated with confirmatory factor analyses. In the main study, the measure of adolescent sports participation experiences was incorporated into a second questionnaire along with other measures of adult motivation towards, and participation in, physical activity. The theoretical framework of Personal Investment Theory (PIT, Maehr & Braskamp, 1986) guided the design of this study. PIT proposes that individuals are motivated to participate in physical activity based on what they hope to gain from participation, their beliefs about themselves and their perceptions of opportunities for participation. This motivation is, in turn, influenced by a number of other personal and situational factors, such as prior personal experiences with sports participation. The results of correlation and structural equation modelling analyses suggested that the direct influence of the perceived quality of adolescent sports participation experiences on the level of adult involvement in physical activity is relatively weak. Structural equation modelling analyses indicated that this relationship is mediated by some of these other motivational variables in PIT. These were individuals. perceptions of their physical competence and personal control over their physical activity behaviour, as well as the tendency to set physical activity goals and to seek intrinsic motives for physical activity, such as skill improvement or enjoyment. Although the quality of sports participation experiences also influenced perceptions about the impact of potential barriers on activity in adulthood, such perceptions did not relate to the actual level of activity of these adults. The perceived quality of adolescent sports participation experiences also influenced the type of physical activity engaged in as an adult, with more negative memories of sports participation being associated with taking part in non-sport-related physical activities in adulthood. In conclusion, application of PIT, along with the use of structural equation modelling, provided valuable insight into how the quality of adolescent sports participation experiences influences adult physical activity behaviour.