"Our self-regulation of sport and exercise motivation research: Moving toward some new goals and motivating challenges" - Symposium introduction

What has happened to motivational research in sport and exercise psychology? Have we expanded our knowledge during the last decade? Have we linked our theoretical understanding of motivated behavior to effective ways of intervening to change motivated behavior? This symposium addresses the theoretical orientations that predominate in the research on sport and exercise and whether we have positive answers to these questions. In regard to sport behavior, Dr. Duda will present two major social cognitive perspectives on sport motivation—self-determination theory and achievement goal theory—from the perspective of attempting to get at the mediating processes influencing motivational outcomes, and the role of situational influences on motivation. She will provide insight into the examination of moral functioning/quality-of-experience variables as well as the more standard achievement motivation cognitions and behaviors. Dr. Brawley will present a synopsis regarding the most influential theories of motivated behavior that have been used to study exercise, for example self-efficacy theory and the theory of planned behavior, and will consider their impact on our research in terms of mediation and moderation. He will also argue that despite the compatibility of the theories, we are limited in how we intervene to alter mediators which influence the behaviors that generate desirable exercise and health outcomes. A common aspect of both presentations is that we know less than the volume of research would lead us to believe, particularly with respect to intervention research. In the absence of answers to key questions, we find new goals and motivating challenges that may stimulate the advances required for future progress in research on motivation. However, our self- regulation of our own research goals is central to making these advances.