Building upon Deci and Ryan's (1985, 1991) self-determination theory as well as
previous empirical work on motivation, the present study was designed to develop a
multifaceted 31-item Exercise Motivation Scale (EMS). A series of pilot studies were
first conducted in order to generate the 31 scale items. The EMS was then administered to
male and female college students (N=592) who participated in various exercise activity
classes offered through university physical activity programs. Using structural equation
modeling methodology, evidence for a robust factor structure, subscale reliabilities, and
convergent and discriminant validity was sought for the proposed eight facets of the
exercise motivation construct. These facets included amotivation, external regulation,
introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, intrinsic motivation to
learn, intrinsic motivation to accomplish things, and intrinsic motivation to experience
sensation. Results provided adequate evidence for the a priori hypothesized EMS factor
structure, and acceptable subscale reliability estimates. Further analyses on the EMS
structural relationships revealed a simplex pattern of the self-determination continuum
underlying the various motivational orientations assessed by the EMS. Finally, selected
antecedents and consequences of exercise motivation showed that the EMS facets had
nomological validity and depicted differential relationships with the various antecedents
and consequences examined. These results provided initial empirical support for the
applicability of self-determination theory in the context of exercise, and suggested a
multifaceted approach to the conceptualization of exercise motivation. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34649 |
| Date | 24 January 1996 |
| Creators | Li, Fuzhong |
| Contributors | Ebbeck, Vicki, Wood, Terry |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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