Research has revealed mixed relationships between biological maturation and physical activity in young girls. This relationship may be illuminated by considering how biological maturation relates to physical self-perceptions and autonomous forms of motivation, both key antecedents to physical activity behavior. The purpose of this study was to test whether maturity status interacts with physical self-perceptions to predict autonomous motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation and identified regulation).
Method:
Students in grades 5-8 (N = 137; Mage = 12.2) completed a questionnaire assessing physical self-perceptions (i.e., perceived competence, conditioning, strength and body attractiveness) and motivation. Maturity status was self-reported via the Pubertal Development Scale. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the relationships among maturity, self-perceptions, and autonomous motivation.
Analysis/Results:
The multiple regression analyses showed that perceived competence and conditioning were positive predictors (B = 0.34, 0.53, respectively, p < 0.001) of intrinsic motivation (F5, 131 = 33.28, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.56). Maturity also interacted with body attractiveness to predict intrinsic motivation (B = 0.20 p < 0.05) explaining additional variance (DF = 2.28, p = 0.06, DR2 = 0.03). The interaction suggested that more mature girls had higher intrinsic motivation when they perceived themselves as more physically attractive. Perceived competence, conditioning and maturity were positive predictors (B = 0.20, 0.48, 0.17 respectively, p < 0.05) of identified regulation (F5, 131 = 17.96, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.41) and the interactions with maturity offered no meaningful variance explained.
Conclusions:
Supporting past research, when girls felt more competent at physical activities and in better physical condition, they experienced more autonomous motivation. More mature girls were also more likely to be motivated because they valued physical activity (i.e., identified regulation). No previous research has linked maturity status in girls to specific types of motivation. Physical changes girls are experiencing during this period of development may motivate them to seek out physical activity to control the changing shape of their body and thus value the physical consequences of physical activity. The interaction shows that the way girls interpret the physical changes that occur with maturation may impact their intrinsic motivation. In other words, those girls who perceive themselves as more attractive during the later stages of maturation may be somewhat protected against the average decline in intrinsic motivation observed during this developmental period.