Abstrakt
Objectives: This study examined the factor structure of intrinsic motivation (IM) using the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) in a sample of Czech University athletes. Sample and setting: A total of 229 undergraduate students (152 males, 77 females) participated in this study.
The mean age of the research sample was 22 years (SD = 2.13). Students participated in a variety of different individual and team sports (number of different sports practiced within the sample N=21).
Statistical analysis: We first examined the SMS factor structure using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques. We then evaluated possible group differences in intrinsic motivation based on gender, competition level, and frequency of physical activity using a multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) structural modeling approach.
Results: Following exclusion of one problematic item, the EFA and CFA model fit statistics favored a 3-factor solution with subscales including intrinsic motivation to know (IM-K), intrinsic motivation to accomplish (IM-A), and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation (IM-E). Interestingly, MIMIC modeling revealed no significant mean or item performance differences in intrinsic motivation with regard to gender, both at the latent or manifest indicator level.
The same was true for competition level, where highly competitive athletes did not differ in their levels of IM from recreational athletes. Correlations between IM subscales and social physique anxiety, physical self-worth, and global self-esteem highlighted possible convergent validity issues of the three-factor IM model.
Results reinforce the performance of the SMS IM factor structure in a sample of Czech university students, with minimal evidence supporting cross-cultural or group-level differences. Study limitations: In order to obtain stable parameter estimates, latent variable modeling techniques (EFA, CFA, MIMIC modeling) are best conducted with relatively large samples and in the current study our sample was relatively small.
The cross-sectional design does not allow causal inferences regarding the effects of SMS on outcomes nor can we assess individual change in IM as well as factors that contribute to change over time. Future studies may want to rely on qualitative and/or longitudinal designs in order to examine developmental trends in IM as well as the usefulness of the tripartite conceptualization of IM in sport.