The Effects of Motivational Climate Interventions on Psychobiosocial States in High School Physical Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task- and ego-involving climate manipulations on students' climate perception and psychobiosocial (PBS) states in a physical education setting. Method: Two subsamples of female students (N=108, 14-15 years of age) participated in 12 lessons on either a task- or an ego-involving climate intervention as grounded in the TARGET (tasks, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, and time) model. Results: At the end of the treatment, the participants of the ego-involved group reported lower scores in the perceived task-involving climate and higher scores in the perceived ego-involving climate compared with their peers in the task-involved group. Lower scores in pleasant/functional PBS states and higher scores in unpleasant/dysfunctional PBS states were also observed in the ego-involved group as a consequence of the intervention. Conclusion: Findings suggested that teachers' induced achievement motivational climates can influence students' perceptions and prompt PBS states consistent with the motivational atmosphere.