Abstract

The mediating effect of perceived competence on intrinsic motivation was studied in a sport setting. Schoolboy cricketers aged 15 to 18 years (N=80) were administered an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) before and after participating in a cricket task for which they received positive and negative feedback. Results indicated that verbal feedback groups differed on all of the intrinsic motivation variables studied. High ability and low ability groups differed only on the pressure/tension scale. Statistically significant interactions between level of ability and type of feedback did not exist for any of the intrinsic motivation variables. Partial correlations showed that changes in intrinsic motivation were mediated by changes in perceived competence. These results support the case for applying the tenets of cognitive evaluation theory to sport-specific situations in order to avoid possible undermining of intrinsic motivation. At least for the cricketers studied here, the tenets apply for both high and low ability groups. Verf.-Referat