Competitive Swimmers’ Interpretation
of Motivational Climate
Rebecca C. Trenz, M.A.
Fordham University
Psychology of Motivation
Background
Motivational Orientation in the Classroom
 Much of the research on developing appropriate motivational
goals in the classroom points to the importance of creating a
mastery orientated climate that is salient to the student.
 A motivational climate that places value on effort, enhances
perceived competence and self-efficacy beliefs, fosters
intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and persistence is
recommended.
 The type of motivational orientation a student adopts is at
least partially dependent on how the student interprets the
reality of the classroom environment (Ames & Archer, 1988).
 Ames (1992) illustrates three categories that are central
elements in the design of the classroom environment that
promote a mastery orientation: tasks, evaluation and
recognition, and authority.
Background
Motivational Orientation in Sport
 Roberts and Treasure (1995) assert that adults play an
important role in creating the motivational climate for their
athletes.
 When athletes adopt a mastery orientation in sport, they are
more satisfied, enjoy their experience, and adopt adaptive
achievement strategies.
 Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are positively
correlated with the perception of the coach’s mastery
orientation across the season (Reinboth & Duda, 2004).
 Characteristics of the mastery oriented coach are praising an
athlete’s personal progress, valuing everyone’s role on the
team, and an over-all task-involved climate.
Research Questions
1. Can swimmers accurately identify
motivational climate?
2. What characteristics of the motivational
climate do swimmers prefer?
Method


Participants
 150 competitive swimmers (75 male, 75 female); mean age 15
 All participants are members of USA Swimming from the
Metropolitan area.
Procedure
 Swimmers will complete this experiment via an internet
website.
1. After consent is obtained swimmers will be given a login ID
to enter the website.
2. Demographic data will be collected (age, gender, ability).
3. Swimmers will be randomly assigned to view one of two
coaching videos.
• Mastery Coach or Performance Coach
4. Swimmers will complete PMCSQ-2 and open-ended
questions.
5. A debriefing statement will follow the completion of the
questionnaires.
Materials
 Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2
 PMCSQ-2; Newton, et al., 2000
 33-item measure
 Stem “On this team…” and is followed by a 5-point scale
ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
 Mastery oriented scale includes 17 items
e.g. “On this team, trying hard is rewarded”
 Performance oriented scale includes 16 items
e.g. “On this team, the coach gives most of his or her
attention to the ‘stars’ ”
Materials

Open-Ended Questionnaire
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What was the coach doing in the video?
Why was the coach doing what she was doing in the video?
What characteristics did you like about the coach in the video?
What characteristics did you dislike about the coach in the
video?
Are there any characteristics of the coach that you would
change?
Are there any characteristics of the coach that you thought
were missing and you would like to add?
How did you feel about the coaching style depicted in the
video?
Would you like to have this coach as your own?
 Why or why not?
Data Analysis

PMCSQ-2
 Two mean scores are obtained:
 Mastery oriented climate and performance oriented
climate
 Open-Ended Questionnaire
 Responses will be coded into one of four categories:
1. Utility (e.g. what to do and how to do it)
2. Mastery (e.g. understanding of task, task enjoyment)
3. Performance (e.g. overt evaluations of performance,
or comparisons of performance)
4. Social (e.g. statements referring to interpersonal
relationships)
Results Summary



Swimmers who watch the mastery oriented coach will have
significantly higher mean scores on the mastery climate
subscale of the PMCSQ-2 than swimmers who watch the
performance oriented coach.
Swimmers who watch the performance oriented coach will
have significantly higher mean scores on the performance
climate subscale of the PMCSQ-2 than swimmers who
watch the mastery oriented coach.
Responses to the open-ended question will be coded into
four categories:
Utility
Mastery
Performance
Social
Conclusions
 The motivational climate that the coach establishes through
cues and feedback affects the motivational goals that the
athlete will adopt.
 To enhance a mastery oriented climate in the competitive
sport setting, coaches should evaluate athletes based on
personal improvement and effort, as well as demonstrate and
emphasize the importance of interpersonal skills.
 The development of a social component may speak to the
importance of the interpersonal relationship between coach
and swimmer.
 The interpersonal relationship between a coach and a
swimmer may be an integral part of the mastery oriented
climate that is often overlooked in sport and may ultimately
translate into psychological benefits for the swimmer.