TY - JOUR

T1 - The associations between motivational climate, basic psychological needs and dropout in volleyball – A comparison across competitive levels

AU - Elsborg, Peter

AU - Appleton, Paul

AU - Wikman, Johan Michael

AU - Nielsen, Glen

N1 - CURIS 2023 NEXS 070

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of motivational climate for the satisfaction of psychological needs and dropout in recreational, intermediate and elite volleyball. 7936 volleyball players from all 321 volleyball clubs across Denmark were invited to participate in the study. Three thousand three thirty answered the questionnaire and 2150 were included in the analysis. Dropout from Volleyball was measured as the proportion of players that had stopped playing volleyball over the last year. The coach-created motivational climate was measured using the Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports. The satisfaction of players’ psychological needs was measured using an adapted version of the basic psychological needs in exercise scale. The psychometric scales were validated and showed good model fit. For volleyball players of all levels, the degree of mastery climate predicted the satisfaction of the players’ basic psychological needs satisfaction during volleyball which was in turn associated with lower dropout rates. Performance climate had a weak negative association with the satisfaction of psychological needs on the intermediate level only. When adjusting the models for the negative association between performance climate and mastery climate this negative association became nonsignificant and a weak positive association to needs satisfaction emerged for players at the elite level. Findings confirm that the coach-created mastery climate in volleyball teams is important for the satisfaction of players’ basic psychological needs and continuation within the sport across the recreational, intermediate and elite levels.

AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of motivational climate for the satisfaction of psychological needs and dropout in recreational, intermediate and elite volleyball. 7936 volleyball players from all 321 volleyball clubs across Denmark were invited to participate in the study. Three thousand three thirty answered the questionnaire and 2150 were included in the analysis. Dropout from Volleyball was measured as the proportion of players that had stopped playing volleyball over the last year. The coach-created motivational climate was measured using the Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports. The satisfaction of players’ psychological needs was measured using an adapted version of the basic psychological needs in exercise scale. The psychometric scales were validated and showed good model fit. For volleyball players of all levels, the degree of mastery climate predicted the satisfaction of the players’ basic psychological needs satisfaction during volleyball which was in turn associated with lower dropout rates. Performance climate had a weak negative association with the satisfaction of psychological needs on the intermediate level only. When adjusting the models for the negative association between performance climate and mastery climate this negative association became nonsignificant and a weak positive association to needs satisfaction emerged for players at the elite level. Findings confirm that the coach-created mastery climate in volleyball teams is important for the satisfaction of players’ basic psychological needs and continuation within the sport across the recreational, intermediate and elite levels.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Task climate

KW - Ego climate

KW - Adherence

KW - Continuation

KW - Enjoyment

KW - Well-being

KW - Motivation

U2 - 10.1080/17461391.2022.2041100

DO - 10.1080/17461391.2022.2041100

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35137679

VL - 23

SP - 393

EP - 403

JO - European Journal of Sport Science

JF - European Journal of Sport Science

SN - 1746-1391

IS - 3

ER -