Abstract des Autors

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which Australian competitive swimmers differed on selected characteristics as a function of their skill level and gender. Male and female competitive swimmers at the club and state level (non-elites). The theoretical framework for this examination was Kirschenbaum and Wittrock's (1984) self-regulation (SR) model, consisting of five components. A 100-item, Likert-type survey was generated that included items for each of the components. Principal component analysis indicated evidence for four of the five factors of the model, namely Problem Identification (PI), Commitment (C), Execution (E), and Environmental Management (EM). A MANCOVA with age as a covariate with subsequent univariate analyses indicated no significant interactions between skill level and gender. Higher skill swimmers, more often than lower skilled competitors, identified problems (PI), displayed a commitment to swimming (C), and executed performance strategies (E). All Males more frequently engaged in the model's PI component than all females. No differences were found between skill level or gender for the EM component, although a significant relationship existed between EM and age. As players' age increased, a decrease in their use of environmental management was observed. Implications for the SR model in competitive sport are discussed. Verf.-Referat