Abstract:
The CATCH Kids Club (CKC) is an after-school intervention that has attempted
to address the growing obesity and physical inactivity concerns publicized in current
literature. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT: Deci & Ryan, 1985) perspective,
this study's main research objective was to assess, while controlling for gender and age,
i f there were significant differences between the treatment (CKC program participants)
and control (non- eKC) groups on their perceptions of need satisfaction, intrinsic
motivation and optimal challenge after four months of participation and after eight
months of participation. For this study, data were collected from 79 participants with a
mean age of9.3, using the Situational Affective State Questionnaire (SASQ: Mandigo et
aI., 2008).
In order to determine the common factors present in the data, a principal
component analysis was conducted. The analysis resulted in an appropriate three-factor
solution, with 14 items loading onto the three factors identified as autonomy, competence
and intrinsic motivation. Initially, a multiple analysis of co-variance (MANCOY A) was
conducted and found no significant differences or effects (p> 0.05). To further assess
the differences between groups, six analyses of co-variance (ANeOY As) were
conducted, which also found no significant differences (p >0 .025).
These findings suggest that the eKC program is able to maintain the se1fdetermined motivational experiences of its participants, and does not thwart need
satisfaction or self-determined motivation through its programming. However, the
literature suggests that the CKe program and other P A interventions could be further
improved by fostering participants' self-determined motivational experiences, which can
lead to the persistence of healthy PA behaviours (Kilpatrick, Hebert & Jacobsen, 2002).
