Reconceptualizing motivational climate in physical education and sport coaching: An interdisciplinary perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to re-conceptualise the phenomenon of motivational climate in Physical Education and sport coaching as a concept that is not purely psychological in nature, but also highly dependent upon pedagogical and sociological theories. In doing so, an interdisciplinary perspective is promoted where the three aforementioned disciplines combine and intersect in order to enrich teachers' and coaches’ understanding of motivational climate. The ultimate aim is to assist practitioners in fostering an effective and stimulating learning environment. The pre-existing TARGET acronym (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation and time) (Epstein, 1988) is used to structure the paper. These TARGET structures are further developed with links to relevant pedagogical and sociological theory to enrich them. Further, a strong emphasis is placed on ‘relationships’, which has not previously featured in the TARGET literature. It is anticipated that inter-disciplinary research on motivational climate will emerge from the ideas presented.