Psychometric Evaluation of the Norwegian Versions of the Modified Group Environment Questionnaire and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire

This study aimed to translate the modified Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ) into Norwegian, examine the factor structure and reliability of the scales through independent clusters model confirmatory factor analysis (ICM-CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and examine differential item functioning (DIF) as a function of sex. Three-hundred-and-thirty-three athletes (M(SD)age  = 18.7(2.60) years; 33% females) completed the GEQ. Three-hundred-and-three athletes (M(SD)age  = 15.0(1.48) years; 26% females) completed the YSEQ. Results indicated acceptable fit indices for a four-factor, a second-order two-factor (task a…

Associations between changes in physical fitness and psychological difficulties status among Norwegian adolescents

Abstract Objectives To investigate the associations for one-year changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and body mass index, with psychological difficulties status in adolescents. Methods Norwegian 14-15-year-olds (n = 925) participated in data collection at two time points separated by one year. Psychological difficulties were assessed via the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire and data from follow-up serve as the dependent variable. Cardiorespiratory fitness (the Andersen-test), muscular strength (Eurofit) and body mass index were measured. Change scores were calculated from the physical fitness variables and serve as independent variables in linear mixed effects mo…

Development of basic psychological need satisfaction in physical education

Research shows that sports-active students experience more basic need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in physical education (PE) than their non-sports-active peers, and thus, reap most of the benefits of PE. This study aimed to investigate the role of a two-year PE programme, referred to as Interest-based PE, in contributing to students’ basic need satisfaction in PE, and in particular, to assess potential basic needs-benefits among students who were not involved in leisure-time sport. Among 693 students, 348 were offered a choice of two different PE approaches (“explorative” vs. “sports” approach) for the next two years, while the remaining students continued to receive tr…

“It’s Not Just About the Activity, It’s Also About How the Activity is Facilitated”: Investigating Students’ Experiences in Two Competitive Situations in Physical Education

The Relationship between Motivational Climate and Personal Treatment Satisfaction among Young Soccer Players in Norway: The Moderating Role of Supportive Coach-Behaviour

Motivational climate and coach-behaviour seem important to understand sport involvement and participation. However, less is known about the potential interaction between these facets, and how it relates to athlete satisfaction. This study&rsquo

Students' self-determined motivation in physical education and intention to be physically active after graduation : the role of perceived competence and identity

Purpose: This study examined whether high school students' degree of self-determined motivation in school physical education predicted their intentions to be physically active after graduation, and whether perceived physical competence and physical activity identity mediated this hypothesized cross-sectional relationship. Additionally, the possibility of conditional effects of gender on these associations was considered. Method: A cross sectional study involving 1650 high-school students allowed for the examination of indirect effects using a bias-corrected bootstrapping technique. Results: Results showed that self-determination in PE may positively affect adolescents' intentions to be phys…

“As Many as Possible for as Long as Possible”—A Case Study of a Soccer Team That Fosters Multiple Outcomes

The personal assets framework suggests that dynamic elements of (a) personal engagement in activities, (b) quality social dynamics, and (c) appropriate settings will influence an athlete’s long-term outcomes of performance, personal development, and continued participation in sport. The aim of the present study was to conduct a case study of a Norwegian age-restricted team that was successful in promoting participation, performance, and positive development for individual participants and to investigate how the dynamic elements of activities, social dynamics, and settings have led to these long-term outcomes. The results indicated that the case is a best-practice example of successful attai…

Born to Score? The Relationship between Left-Handedness and Success from the 7-Meter Line

An asymmetry in the prevalence of left-handedness vs. right-handedness in society has supposedly resulted in negative frequency-dependent advantages for left-handers in interactive sports. The aim of this study was to test whether these advantages apply to handball by examining whether being left-handed is beneficial when executing 7 m shots, a highly unimanual movement. All 1,625 7 m shots at the men’s 2016–2022 European championships were analyzed using a Bayesian two-level analysis. While the results did not indicate that left-handers were more likely to score from any single 7 m shot, left-handers were overrepresented among the designated shooters compared to both the population as a wh…

Normative data of BMI and physical fitness in a Norwegian sample of early adolescents.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to 1) provide normative data quantifying the physical fitness level and body mass index of 13–15-year-old Norwegian adolescents using a multi-component fitness assessment, and 2) compare the physical fitness of Norwegian teenagers with available European and International fitness data. Methods: 1059 adolescents (529 males, 530 females) from 12 public schools in Kristiansand were invited to testing at age 13, 14, and 15 years (Grades 8–10). Test participation was 75%–80%. The participants performed objectively anthropometrical measures (height and weight) and six field-based physical fitness tests. Results and Conclusions: As expected, sex differenc…

The temporal relations of adolescents' basic need satisfaction in physical education and global self-worth

This study investigated the temporal relations of adolescents’ basic need satisfaction in physical education (PE) and global self-worth in a sample of 3,398 lower and upper secondary school students (49% boys, 51% girls, average age T1 = 15.00, SD = 1.79). Four models and competing hypotheses were tested, and the model with bidirectional paths specified showed the best fit to the data. The bidirectional effect estimates suggest not only that basic need satisfaction in PE predicts global self-worth development but also that adolescents’ perceptions of global self-worth predict the degree to which they experience basic need satisfaction in PE. Findings could suggest that students with low glo…

When it’s “All about the bike”—Intrapersonal conflict in light of passion for cycling and exercise dependence.

A strong inclination to engage in a sport activity may provoke intrapersonal conflict. Yet, few studies have explicitly investigated such activity-related conflict in light of self-regulation of activity engagement. In the present research, we explored intrapersonal conflict measured as discrepant self-guides in relation to obsessive passion, harmonious passion, and exercise dependence. Two separate surveys were conducted including leisure time endurance off-road cyclists, with a total of 990 participants. In Study 1, discrepancies with respect to the participants’ actual and ideal involvement in the activity, as well as their perception of acceptance from significant others, were related t…

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 - Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 for Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education by Dag Ove G Hovdal, Tommy Haugen, Inger Beate Larsen and Bjørn Tore Johansen in European Physical Education Review

What distinguishes responders from nonresponders to a vocational rehabilitation program?

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare responders and nonresponders in terms of work ability (WA) to a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation program (MVRP) in Norway. Methods: The WA of 74 participants was tested at baseline and in the final week of a 4–6-week intervention. The participants whose WA increased were defined as WA-responders, whereas participants with no increases or with decreases in their WA after the intervention were defined as WA-nonresponders. Measures of functional health, psychological functioning, and demographics were also collected. Results: Overall, the results of this study indicate that the WA improved and the proportion of participants with…

Translating, Reliability Testing, and Validating a Norwegian Questionnaire to Assess Adolescents’ Intentions to be Physically Active After High School Graduation

This is a scholarly, peer-reviewed article originally published in Sage Open under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC BY 3.0). You can access the article by following this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244015580374 Dette er en vitenskapelig, fagfellevurdert artikkel som opprinnelig ble publisert i Sage Open under betingelsene til lisensen Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0). Du får tilgang til artikkelen via Sage Open ved å følge denne lenken: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244015580374 This study aimed to test the reliability and validity of a Norwegian measure of adolescents’ intentions to be physically active after graduation (the Intention to be …

Anxiety level and decision-making among Norwegian top-class soccer referees

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of anxiety experienced by Norwegian top-class soccer referees while officiating, and to predict the level of anxiety according to refereeing level and perceived refereeing competence. Also investigated were referees' perceptions of how crowd noise and disturbance from players and/or coaches, failure (i.e. mistakes) in refereeing, and aggressive behaviour by players and/or coaches influence their decision-making when officiating. A total of 83 (response rate: 84.7%) referees (73 men and 10 women) aged 20–46 years (mean = 33.2 years) completed our questionnaire using SurveyXact, a web-based program for conducting electronic questionnaires. Th…

Forholdet mellom elevers motivasjon for kroppsøvingsfaget, motivasjonsklima og tilhørighet i kroppsøvingstimene, og deres intensjon om å være fysisk aktive etter endt obligatorisk skolegang

Studiens hensikt var å undersøke forholdet mellom elevers tilhørighet i kroppsøvingstimene, deres opplevelse av motivasjonsklimaet i faget og deres intensjon om å være fysisk aktive etter endt obligatorisk skolegang, samt å undersøke i hvilken grad autonom og kontrollert motivasjon medierte det ovennevnte forholdet. Tverrsnittsdata fra 2610 avgangselever ved ungdoms- og videregående skoler fra fire forskjellige geografiske områder i Norge dannet grunnlaget for mediasjonsanalysen. Denne målte indirekte effekter ved hjelp av en bias-korrigert bootstrapping metode. Resultatene viste at opplevd tilhørighet og opplevd mestringsklima i faget var positivt assosiert med elevers intensjoner om å vær…

Sport participation and loneliness in adolescents: the mediating role of perceived social competence

Published version of an article in the journal: Current Psychology. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-013-9174-5 Young people perceive loneliness as a distressing emotional experience associated with sadness and boredom. Also, feelings of loneliness may be associated with psychosocial and emotional problems during adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate whether perceived social competence mediated the cross-sectional relationship between sport participation and loneliness in young people when controlling for age, sex, shyness, and non-organized physical activity. This cross-sectional study consisted of 2,055 pupils (995 boys and 1,060 girls…

Difference in physical fitness in children with initially high and low gross motor competence: A ten-year follow-up study

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the difference in relative physical fitness between children with initially high and low gross motor competence in a ten-year prospective study. A sample of 49 children from a local primary school was tested on gross motor competence and physical fitness in 1st grade (5/6 years old). The children were tested again in 2nd (motor competence only), 7th, and 10th grade (15/16 years old). The sample was divided into two groups; initially high and low gross motor competence, according to score (median-split) on the Korperkoordinationstest fur Kinder-test battery in 1st grade. Results suggested that the initially high gross motor competence-group pe…

Global Self-Worth among Adolescents: The Role of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Physical Education

Global self-worth is important for healthy development and learning, and is therefore highlighted as a major aim in the Norwegian physical education (PE) curriculum. Based on prior research this study aimed to assess potential differences in global self-worth and contextual basic need satisfaction among 2854 adolescents (47.5% boys, 52.5% girls, ages 13 and 16) participating in different movement contexts, and to determine whether basic need satisfaction in PE relates to global self-worth. Structural equation modeling analyses indicate that basic need satisfaction in PE relates significantly to global self-worth. However, adolescents who do not participate in movement contexts outside schoo…

Establishing the Convergent Validity of the Travel Habit Questions in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Questionnaire by Quantifying Active Travel in Norwegian Adolescents.

BackgroundActive travel (cycling or walking to school) can be a substantial part of adolescents' daily physical activity. Research on transport activities primarily relies on self-reported indices of travel mode and travel time. However, many researchers do not report the psychometric properties of their instruments. The Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire is a commonly used instrument, but the items in this questionnaire on travel habits have not yet been validated. The present study was conducted to investigate the convergent validity and agreement between the HBSC items and a travel diary on (1) transport mode to and from school and (2) travel time to school.Meth…

Team identity in youth soccer: The role of coaches' feedback patterns and use of humour

The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the relationship between coaches' communication patterns (feedback and use of humour) and team identity in youth soccer. A cross-sectional design was used and participants were 532 soccer players, aged from 13 to 20 years, taking part in a youth soccer tournament, the Sør Cup. Structural Equation Modelling based multiple regression analysis was conducted, and the findings revealed that positive/instructive feedback and coaches' use of humour were positive significant predictors of team identity. Contrary to our expectations, negative/punishment feedback was not significantly related to team identity. The findings are discussed within a so…

“Being together in the locker room is great, but showering together – just forget it!” The Janus Face of the Wardrobe Practice in Physical Education

The aim of this study is to examine the wardrobe context among students in physical education (PE) in lower secondary school and describe their various experiences of the atmosphere in the locker room and their showering habits. 16 semi structured in-depth interviews with eight boys and eight girls, all aged 15, in the 10th grade (third and final year of lower secondary school) were conducted to grasp some of the ongoing interactions between students and the context of the wardrobe practice before and after PE lessons. The planning of the interviews is grounded in a variety of topics such as the class environment, the influence of teacher behavior, self-evaluation, and the role of social me…

The role of gender in the relationship between physical activity, appearance evaluation and psychological distress

Background Based on previous research, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the indirect effect of physical activity on psychological distress through appearance evaluation. The indirect effect was hypothesized to be conditional on gender, with the effect being more profound among females than among males. Method A total of 2055 adolescents (Mage = 15.3) completed a self-report questionnaire. Results Physical activity was indirectly related to psychological distress through appearance evaluation in both males and females, but the indirect effect was stronger for females than for males. Conclusions Physical activity may prevent distress through enhanced appearance evaluation.

Using the Intervention Mapping protocol to develop a family-based intervention for improving lifestyle habits among overweight and obese children: study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial

Abstract Background In light of the high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, there is a need of developing effective prevention programs to address the rising prevalence and the concomitant health consequences. The main aim of the present study is to systematically develop and implement a tailored family-based intervention for improving lifestyle habits among overweight and obese children, aged 6–10 years old, enhancing parental self-efficacy, family engagement and parent-child interaction. A subsidiary aim of the intervention study is to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity among those participating in the intervention study. Methods/design The Intervention Mapping p…

A Qualitative Exploration of Collective Collapse in a Norwegian Qualifying Premier League Soccer Match—The Successful Team's Perspective

The current case study focused on a crucial match in the qualification for the Norwegian Premier League (Eliteserien). In the match, the participants of the study experienced a radical change in performance toward the end of the second half, from being behind by several goals to scoring 3 goals in 6 min and winning the qualifying game. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the perceptions and reflections of players and coaches (sporting director) on what occurred within their own team and within the opposing team. The momentum shift in the opposition team can be described as a collective collapse. In the study, the theoretical collective collapse process model was used as a gui…

Group cohesion, needs satisfaction, and self-regulated learning: A one-year prospective study of elite youth soccer players' perceptions of their club team

Abstract Objectives With an overarching aim of investigating the importance of group perceptions on factors believed to underpin the quantity and quality of athletic practice, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between perceptions of group cohesion and elite youth soccer players' basic psychological needs satisfaction and self-regulation over a one-year period. Design Prospective study design involving data collection at two time-points over a one-year period. Method A total of 332 elite youth soccer players selected at Norwegian regional U14 (N = 154) and U 13 (N = 178) levels completed questionnaires measuring perceptions of club-team cohesion, and individual…

Development and Initial Validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale

In sport teams, humor is an essential element that influences communication processes, and plays an important role in group dynamics. Despite this, no current instrument is presented in the literature to measure humor climate in sport teams. Therefore, the current study presents the development and initial validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale (HCSS). The aim was to assess content, structural and concurrent validity of the developed instrument, and to examine differential item functioning (DIF) as a function of sex. Three different phases were completed in this study. The first phase involved focus groups (n= 5) that explored humor as communication in a team sport context. In phase…

Self-regulated Learning in Physical Education: An Analysis of Perceived Teacher Learning Support and Perceived Motivational Climate as Context Dependent Predictors in Upper Secondary School

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between teacher learning support, motivational climate and self-regulated learning in upper-secondary school physical education. A sample consisting of 554 upper secondary school students from Norway (Mage = 17.05, SD = 0.91) answered a survey pertaining to their everyday experiences in physical education. A multiple regression based structural equation model indicated that teacher learning support, ego-involving motivational climate and task-involving motivational climate were all significant positive predictors of self-regulated learning, with teacher learning support emerging as the most prominent predictor. These …

Understanding disruptive situations in physical education : Teaching style and didactic implications

Several studies have emphasized the importance of handling disruptive situations in the physical education (PE) learning environment; however, few have investigated complex disruptive situations in PE and included both teacher and student perspectives. The aims of this study, which discusses an alternative teaching style for reducing disruptive situations, were to gain a better understanding of student and teacher experiences of complex disruptive situations in PE, and to explore how the teacher handled these situations. The philosophical perspective used in this study was Rorty’s philosophical pragmatism. Methods included written narratives, interviews, observation, and video recordings o…

Attitudes toward and motivation for PE: who collects the benefits of the subject?

Background and purpose: Due to attitudinal and motivational aims in the national curriculum, and to lack of research on adolescents' experiences with physical education (PE) in Norway, the purposes of this study were to (1) attain data on attitudes toward PE and self-determined motivation for PE among a representative sample of adolescents (N = 2010) in middle school (grade 8–10/age 13–15) and high school (grade 11–13/age 16–19) in Norway, and (2) to explore the relationship between involvement in movement activities outside school and self-determined motivation in PE. Findings: The results showed that 43% of the adolescents were not happy with how PE is taught in Norwegian schools, and tha…

An Examination of the Relationship Between Coaches’ Transformational Leadership and Athletes’ Personal and Group Characteristics in Elite Youth Soccer

There is a growing body of the literature highlighting the positive impact of transformational leadership behaviours across contexts, including sport. However, there is a lack of knowledge of this relationship within elite sport settings. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between elite youth athletes’ perceptions of coaches’ transformational coaching-behaviours and variables that have been linked to transformational leadership in other settings (i.e., group cohesion, motivational climate, self-regulation of learning and athlete satisfaction). Norwegian elite youth soccer players (n= 753) selected into the national talent development program completed que…

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 - Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 for Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education by Dag Ove G Hovdal, Tommy Haugen, Inger Beate Larsen and Bjørn Tore Johansen in European Physical Education Review

Does mindfulness affect participants’ response to a vocational rehabilitation program?

Objective: The study aims were to investigate whether mindfulness predicts improved work ability after a multifactorial vocational rehabilitation program in Norway and to examine the mediating influence of mindfulness in the relationship between personal health factors and changes in work ability in response to the program. Methods: Seventy-four participants on long-term sick leave completed questionnaires assessing mindfulness, work ability, functional health, psychological functioning, and demographics before and after a 4–6-week multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation program. In addition to a standard logistic regression analysis, a bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to…

Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education.

Physical education (PE) can be a context in which students are ‘educated through the physical’, which includes the possibility to learn social inclusion as an important life skill and contributor to the greater good of society. A key goal in the Norwegian educational system is that such positive life skills become internalised in students. The aims of this study were to understand students’ experiences of and behaviour towards social inclusion – such as passing the ball – in team activities and how the teacher facilitated the learning of social inclusion. We use Dewey’s pedagogical perspective on education, and Johnson and Johnson’s cooperative learning model to discuss possible consequenc…

Mental Toughness Moderates Social Loafing in Cycle Time-Trial Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine if mental toughness moderated the occurrence of social loafing in cycle time-trial performance.Twenty-seven men (Mage = 17.7 years, SD = 0.6) completed the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire prior to completing a 1-min cycling trial under 2 conditions: once with individual performance identified, and once in a group with individual performance not identified. Using a median split of the mental toughness index, participants were divided into high and low mental toughness groups. Cycling distance was compared using a 2 (trial) × 2 (high-low mental toughness) analysis of variance. We hypothesized that mentally tough participants would perform equall…

Racing with superior and inferior team-members: an experimental test of effort changes in a cycling team sprint

The study purpose was to investigate the effect of ability on effort within a sport-specific conjunctive task. The hypothesis was that, compared to working alone, inferior team members would increa...

Physical activity and global self-worth: The role of physical self-esteem indices and gender

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was: a) to investigate mediating influences of body areas satisfaction, appearance evaluation and perceived athletic competence in the relationship between physical activity and global self-worth, controlling for contextual variations in physical activity; b) to investigate the relative magnitude of the specific indirect effects; c) to investigate whether gender moderates the mediating influences of body areas satisfaction, appearance evaluation and perceived athletic competence. Methods This is a cross-sectional study consisting of 2055 adolescents (995 boys and 1060 girls) from ages 13 to 18 (mean age 15.3 years) from 38 different Norwegian schools, …

Childhood football play and practice in relation to self-regulation and national team selection; a study of Norwegian elite youth players.

Childhood sport participation is argued to be important to understand differences in self-regulation and performance level in adolescence. This study sought to investigate if football-specific activities in childhood (6–12 years of age) is related to self-regulatory skills and national under 14- and 15-team selection in Norwegian elite youth football. Data of practice histories and self-regulatory skills of 515 youth football players selected at Norwegian regional level were collected and further analysed using multilevel analyses. The results revealed that high self-regulated players were more likely to be selected for national initiatives, and increased their involvement in peer-led footb…

Are the playoffs different from the regular season? A comparison of in-game statistics in Icelandic elite handball

There are many axioms in sport that are taken at face value. One of them is that the playoffs are somehow totally different from the regular season. The aim of this study was to test that axiom by comparing in-game statistics during the regular season and the playoffs in the semi-professional Icelandic elite men’s handball league. Data from 724 games (648 regular season games and 76 playoff games; 1448 data points) across five seasons were analysed using a two-level logistic regression analysis. The variables of interest were pace, fast breaks, legal stops, penalty throws given, 2-minute suspensions, and saves. The results indicated no meaningful differences in fast breaks, penalty throws g…

The association between physical fitness and mental health in Norwegian adolescents

Abstract Background Studies indicate that health-related components of physical fitness are associated with mental health outcomes. However, research is scarce concerning this relationship in young adolescents in general and non-existent in Norwegian populations specifically. The aim of the study was to examine whether body composition, muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with self-reported mental health in Norwegian adolescents. Methods Adolescents from four regions of Norway (n = 1486; mean age = 13.9; girls = 50.6%) participated. Self-reported mental health (psychological difficulties) was measured by completing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Ca…

The relationship between physical activity and physical self-esteem in adolescents: the role of physical fitness indices.

The aim of this study was to investigate if physical fitness (strength/power, endur ance, flexibility and coordination) mediates the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and physical self-perception (athletic competence and physical appearance) in a sample of 15-year old adolescents. We wanted to investigate the relative strength of each indirect effect. The present data are taken from two waves of a larger data collection for the project “Youth in Balance”, and was collected in the autumn of 2005 (N = 1207) and 2008 (N = 632). A total of 1839 students (889 girls and 950 boys) from 12 schools in Kristiansand took part. A bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to e…

Sports clubs as accessible developmental assets for all? Adolescents’ assessment of egalitarianism vs. elitism in sport clubs vs. school

School and sport clubs are considered important public institutions in the nationwide scaffolding of developmental assets for adolescents. However, external assets’ impact on individuals’ internal assets is not given and developmental institutions do not necessarily function as the society would like to believe. Previous qualitative studies from Norway indicate that organized youth sport appears as competitive and exclusive and the purpose of the present study was therefore to assess a national sample of adolescents’ perceptions of their local sports clubs in terms of egalitarianism (inclusiveness) and elitism (exclusiveness). A comparison with their assessments of their local school was pe…

Referee efficacy in the context of Norwegian soccer referees – A meaningful construct?

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was two-fold. Firstly, to examine the measurement/factorial validity and invariance of the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale (REFS) among Norwegian soccer referees. Secondly, extending scale validation, we also tested a structural model in which a second-order version of the REFS was modelled to mediate a set of theoretically informed antecedents and outcomes. Design Cross-sectional. Method One hundred and eleven Norwegian elite referees and 81 non-elite referees completed an electronic questionnaire measuring expected antecedents and outcomes of perceived self-efficacy in the role as referees. Results Analyses provided support for the first – and sec…

Development of basic psychological need satisfaction in physical education - Effects of a two-year PE programme

Research shows that sports-active students experience more basic need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in physical education (PE) than their non-sports-active peers, and thus, reap most of the benefits of PE. This study aimed to investigate the role of a two-year PE programme, referred to as Interest-based PE, in contributing to students’ basic need satisfaction in PE, and in particular, to assess potential basic needs-benefits among students who were not involved in leisure-time sport. Among 693 students, 348 were offered a choice of two different PE approaches (“explorative” vs. “sports” approach) for the next two years, while the remaining students continued to receive tr…

Effects of a school-based physical activity intervention on academic performance in 14-year old adolescents: a cluster randomized controlled trial – the School in Motion study

Abstract Background School-based physical activity interventions evaluating the effect on academic performance usually includes children. We aimed to investigate the effect of a nine-month, school-based physical activity intervention titled School in Motion (ScIM) on academic performance in adolescents. Methods Thirty secondary schools in Norway were cluster-randomized into three groups: the Physically active learning (PAL) group (n = 10), the Don’t worry – Be Happy (DWBH) group (n = 10) or control (n = 10). Target dose in both intervention groups was 120 min/week of additional PA during school hours. Parental consent was obtained from 2084 adolescent students (76%). Standardized national t…

Students’ motivation in a disc golf-lesson and a soccer-lesson: An experimental study in the Physical Education setting

The purpose of physical education (PE) in both Norway and Denmark is that PE should inspire to a lifelong active lifestyle. Based on the self-determination theory, the aim of the present study was to compare students’ intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and perceived competence in a lifestyle sport inspired PE-lesson (disc golf) to a traditional PE-lesson (soccer) and general PE. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether differences in motivation and perceived competence was conditional of the students´ relative attitude toward PE. The result of the study revealed that perceived competence was higher in the disc golf-lesson compared to the soccer-lesson and general PE. No overall…