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The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between motor skills proficiency and participation in physical activity considering three mediators (ability beliefs, subjective task value, and expectancy of success) among Grade 3 children and considers those relationships in terms of sex-based differences. The participants in this study were recruited from eight elementary schools from School District 61 in Victoria, British Columbia. Participants were 398 children (Girls: n = 201, Boys: n = 197). Motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), physical activity participation was measured using the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE), and ability beliefs, subjective task value, and expectancy of success were measured using the Expectancy Value Questionnaire (EVQ). Descriptive statistics showed that participation in physical activities was low with a mean score of 3.7 on a scale of 14. Percent of maximum (POMP) scores of the psychological variables were in the middle of the range of possible scores; specifically: 68.7%, 74.8%, and 72.7% for children’s ability beliefs, task value, and expectancy of success, respectively. A MANCOVA revealed a main effect of sex (F (7, 389) = 29.684, p < .001; Wilks’ Lambda = 0.652) between boys and girls in terms of their ability beliefs, expectancy of success, subjective task value, motor skills proficiency. A second MANCOVA examining the effect of sex on total raw scores of motor skills and physical activity also revealed a main effect of sex (F (2, 394) = 11.130, p < .001; Wilks’ Lambda = 0.947). Separate parallel multiple mediator models were created for both boys and girls. The mediator model for boys revealed an overall significant effect of .044 (p < .001). The mediator model for girls revealed an overall significant effect of .031 (p < .05). The mediation model for boys showed that the psychological variables in this study did not mediate the relationship between motor skills and physical activity participation. Instead, boys’ motor skills directly predicted their participation in physical activity. The girls’ mediation model showed mediation between motor skills and physical activity with subjective task value as the mediator. Girls’ motor skills did not have a direct relationship with their participation in physical activities. Future research might: (1) include gender as a mediating factor in future mediation models, (2) explore mediation models with locomotor skills and object control skills as independent variables, and (3) explore the role of social and environmental factors such as the influence of parents, teachers, peers, culture, and society on children’s participation in physical activity. / Graduate

This thesis examined the relationships of the conceptions of sport ability, achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation in Physical Education. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the psychometric properties of the Conceptions of the Nature of Athletic Ability Questionnaire (CNAAQ), a measure of sport ability beliefs. Results showed that the revised version of the scale possesses sound psychometric properties in assessing sport ability beliefs among children and youth. In addition, the relationships between ability beliefs, goal orientations, perceived competence, and behavioural indicators (intentions and amotivation) were also examined in the first two studies. An incremental belief predicted task orientation, whereas an entity belief predicted ego orientation. Intentions to be physically active were predicted by goal orientations indirectly through perceived competence, and directly by task orientation. In addition, amotivation was predicted directly and indirectly by ability beliefs and directly by achievement goals. Specifically, entity beliefs directly predicted amotivation, task orientation negatively predicted amotivation. Study 3 examined the interrelationships between ability beliefs, achievement goals, perceived competence, behavioural regulation, and arnotivation using cluster analysis. Five distinct clusters were identified based on these motivational constructs and these profiles were found to be related to perceived physical self-worth and levels of sport participation. Study 4 experimentally manipulated sport ability beliefs and examined their causal influence on achievement goals and motivation patterns when faced with failure. The causal link between ability beliefs and goals was supported. Ability attributions for failure were stronger for entity theorists compared to incremental theorists. However, hypotheses predicting differences on effort attributions, affective reactions, and behavioural markers were not supported. Study 5 examined the effects of goal involvement on enjoyment and intrinsic motivation under positive feedback. The results suggested that task-involved and ego-involved participants did not differ in self-reported enjoyment and free-choice behaviour measure. However, the free-choice behaviour of the ego-involved participants may not be fully intrinsically motivated. In addition, autonomous communication increased the positive effects of task and ego involvement on intrinsic motivation and enjoyment, whereas controlling communication had an undermining effect. Overall, results show that high incremental beliefs and high task orientation facilitate adaptive motivational patterns. Autonomy-supportive contexts also enhanced students' task motivation compared to controlling contexts.

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Denna undersökning syftar till att se vilka anledningar som finns till kvinnliga elevers val, eller snarare bortval av utbildning inom teknik, och vad som kan vara de bakomliggande faktorerna som bidrar till eller avgör att få kvinnliga elever väljer teknikprogrammet. Utbildningsvägar med tekniska inriktningar lockar fortfarande endast ett fåtal kvinnliga elever. Kvinnliga elever som går på teknikprogrammet och naturvetenskapsprogrammet har tillfrågats om vilka faktorer som påverkade dem vid deras gymnasieval. Studien har genomförts på tre gymnasieskolor inom Stockholms län (två kommunala skolor från olika kommuner och en fristående skola). Metoderna för studien var enkätundersökning till lärarna, gruppintervju med eleverna och enkätundersökning med frågor till kvinnliga elever på teknikprogrammet och naturvetenskapsprogrammet. Studien visar att hierarkiska strukturer i kulturella koder för programmen var framstående, såsom hur könsfördelningen ser ut på programmen. De kvinnliga eleverna på teknikprogrammet anser att öppet hus och föräldrarnas åsikter har påverkat deras val av teknikprogrammet. Teknikintresset har även visat sig avgörande liksom innehållsmässiga faktorer i högstadiets teknikundervisning, vilket har medfört att eleverna väljer bort teknikprogrammet. Studien påvisar ett troligt samband mellan lågt självförtroende inom teknik och de kvinnliga elevernas gymnasieval, eftersom de saknar tillit till sin egen förmåga inom teknik och anser att de saknar kunskap om vad teknik är. Av studien framkommer möjliga metoder för att utöka antalet kvinnliga elever på teknikprogrammet anordnande av öppet hus och förändring av den kulturella koden för teknikprogrammet genom att betona kvinnliga förebilder inom teknik. En annan möjlig väg till att minska segregerade gymnasieval till teknikprogrammet är att skapa nya inriktningar som passar kvinnliga elever på teknikprogrammet. / This survey aims to identify the reasons for female students' choices, or rather discontinuation of education in technology, and what are the main reasons affecting them in their selection that contribute to make female students choose or not choose the technology program in the upper secondary school selection process. Educational pathways with technical focus still attract only a few female students. The female students who are currently studying the technology program and the science program have been asked about the factors that influenced them in the upper secondary school choice process. The study has been conducted at three secondary schools in Stockholm county (two municipal schools from different municipalities and one free school). The methods of the study were a web questionnaire questions to the teachers, group interviews with the students and a web questionnaire questions to female students on the technology program and science program. The study shows that hierarchical structures in cultural codes for the programs were prominent, such as how gender distribution looks like at programs. The female students at the technology program consider that open-houses and parents' opinions have heavily in their decision process. Technical interest has also been crucial as well as substantial factors in upper level lower secondary school technical education, and thus students opt out the technology program. The survey shows the low ability beliefs have strong connection with female students' choices for their future education because they do not belief in their own ability in technology and they consider that they have lack knowledge about what technology is.  Conclusion could be made that possible ways for increase the number of female students in the technology program through the open house, and the change of the cultural code of the technology program by emphasizing female role-models in technology world. Another possible way to avoid segregated upper secondary school program choices could create new specializations in the technology program to attract female students.