Social Motivation in Youth Sport

Youth sport participants frequently report social reasons for their involvement in sport such as wanting to be part of a team or to be with friends, and social sources of positive and negative affect such as social recognition and parental pressure. Although a social view of sport has been recognized, youth sport motivation researchers have emphasized approaches centered on constructs related to physical ability and have not examined the social aspect of motivation in detail. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the contribution that social goal orientations and perceptions of belonging make toward understanding youth sport motivation. Specifically, female adolescents’ (N = 100) social motivational orientations, achievement goal orientations, perceived belonging, perceived physical ability, and interest in sport were assessed. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that social motivational constructs added to the explanation of adolescents’ interest in sport. When given the choice, few individuals elect to participate in sport on their own. Whether it is tennis at the local courts with friends, a Little League team with teammates, or a high school championship soccer match with a stand full of spectators, inherent in these physical activities are social settings and interpersonal interactions. The social context of sport is salient to participants’ motivation. Participants report social reasons for engaging in physical activities including affiliation, being part of a team, and social status (McCullagh, Matzkanin, Shaw, & Maldanado, 1993; Passer, 1982). Researchers have also indicated that positive and negative affect comes from social sources such as friendship opportunities, social recognition, and parental pressure (Scanlan, Carpenter, Lobel, & Simons, 1993; Scanlan & Lewthwaite, 1984). Further, social interactions with parents, coaches, and peers have all been associated with the quality of young people’s sport experience (e.g., Brustad, 1993; Duncan, 1993; Wylleman, 2000). Sport clearly has meaning to participants because it provides opportunities for interpersonal interaction and the development of social bonds with significant others. Despite the salience of numerous social aspects of sport to participants, researchers examining youth sport motivation have tended to emphasize constructs related to physical ability such as perceived physical ability and task and ego goal