Identifier

etd-03022004-093241

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Kinesiology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between ability conceptions, intrinsic motivation, persistence, and performance using an interaction approach. The phase-one study revealed that participants who were more oriented toward incremental ability beliefs were likely to be more intrinsically motivated. For those who were more intrinsically motivated, they displayed more persistence and obtained better performance scores. Participants who were highly intrinsically motivated had lower performance scores as they were more oriented toward incremental ability beliefs. The phase-two study showed that participants who were more oriented toward incremental views were more intrinsically motivated, which provided evidence supporting the important role of dispositional ability conceptions in mediating intrinsic motivation. Participants who were more intrinsically motivated had better performance scores. Participants with high levels of intrinsic motivation in the incremental condition persisted longer than those in the entity condition. The results suggest that when studying the effects of situational ability conceptions on motivational patterns dispositional ability conceptions should be considered. It is also suggested that if physical education teachers want to improve students’ learning outcomes a positive environment should be created, whereby their perceptions of competency and intrinsic motivation will be enhanced. Finally, an interaction approach promises to provide a deeper understanding of how motivational constructs interact to affect students’ motivational patterns.

Date

2004

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Amelia Lee

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.4041

Included in

Kinesiology Commons

Share

COinS