Young People’s Motivation in School and Community Sport: Congruence, Conflict and Outcomes

In order to understand young people’s motivation for physical activity, research should adopt a holistic focus, encompassing key physical environments experienced by the individual. For a significant proportion of youngsters, school and club sport operate simultaneously for a period in their lives. Research into motivation toward physical activity among youth, however, often centres on either the school environment (physical education) or community-based, club sport.

Little is known regarding the potential relationships between these contexts and their influence on young people’s continuing motivation, participation, well-being and sport/educational outcomes. Young people involved in school and club sport are exposed to several key social agents, some potentially specific to one context (sport coach, PE teacher) and some potentially common (peers, parents). Sport participants will form perceptions of motivational climates created by these social agents and experience varied relationship qualities with adults and peers. Perceived climate and relationship quality may change over time, within and across contexts, leading to more adaptive or maladaptive outcomes e.g., lower quality of motivation, drop-out, burnout vs. higher quality motivation, persistence, achievement, vitality, confidence.

The research programme will be theoretically underpinned by contemporary perspectives on motivation and relationship quality, facilitate new insights into independent and combined effects of physical settings on young people’s behaviour and well-being, and generate recommendations for key social agents in youth physical activity more broadly.

Entry requirements
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Sport and Exercise Science, Physical Education, Psychology or a related subject.

A relevant Master's degree and / or experience in one or more of the following will be an advantage: Sport and Exercise Psychology or Physical Education.