Glyn C. Roberts

• Ph.D.
• Professor Emeritus at Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Objective Gender-sensitive approaches to increasing men’s physical activity (PA) through sports settings have shown promise across cultural contexts. We examined changes to men’s walking and the contribution of walking towards self-reported PA after participating in the men-only European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme before exploring men’s e...

Background A randomised trial of European Fans in Training (EuroFIT), a 12-week healthy lifestyle program delivered in 15 professional football clubs in the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, successfully increased physical activity and improved diet but did not reduce sedentary time. To guide future implementation, this paper i...

Objectives: We studied associations between the burden of health problems and athlete burnout in a population of athletes from Norwegian Sport Academy High Schools. Methods: This is a mixed prospective/retrospective cohort study. We included 210 athletes, 135 boys and 75 girls, from endurance, technical and team sports. We used the Oslo Sports T...

This paper investigated facilitators and barriers to implementing the European Football Fans in Training program (EuroFIT) in professional sports clubs in England, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. We analyzed qualitative data collected at clubs that delivered EuroFIT, based on semi-structured interviews with coordinating staff (n = 15), coach...

Background Increased physical activity (PA), reduced time spent sedentary (SED), healthier diet and reduced body weight may all have a positive impact on cardiometabolic risk. The relative importance of change in each of these variables on cardiometabolic risk, however, is unclear. We therefore sought to investigate the relative contributions of ch...

This study draws on achievement goal theory and self-determination theory to examine the associations among two motivational climates (i.e., mastery and performance) and two indicators of energy at work (i.e., vigor and emotional exhaustion), as well as the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, relatedness, and co...

Objectives: Increasing physical activity reduces the risk of chronic illness including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Lifestyle interventions can increase physical activity but few successfully engage men. This study aims to investigate the 5 year cost-effectiveness of EuroFIT, a program to improve physical ac...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002736.].

Background Reducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity in inactive people is beneficial for their health. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans, delivered through the professional football setting. Method...

EuroFIT self-complete baseline questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)

EuroFIT self-complete 12-month questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)

Supplementary tables. (PDF)

Intervention effect heterogeneity, grouped by moderator interaction on physical activity, sedentary time, and weight. (PDF)

Probability of EuroFIT being cost-effective compared with the comparison group. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)

Description of the SitFIT device for self-monitoring physical activity and sedentary behaviour and of MatchFIT to encourage game-based social interaction. (PDF)

Standard operating procedure for preparing activPAL data for analysis using automated sleep and non–wear-time algorithm. (PDF)

EuroFIT statistical analysis plan. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)

EuroFIT self-complete post-programme questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)

The purpose of this study was to respond to the call for research on goal orientation (mastery and performance orientation) profiles in work contexts. Among 8,282 engineers and technologists, Latent Profile Analyses indicated that 4 different goal orientation profiles existed—primarily mastery oriented, indifferent, moderate multiple goals, and suc...

Background: Lifestyle interventions targeting physical activity, sedentary time and dietary behaviours have the potential to initiate and support behavioural change and result in public health gain. Although men have often been reluctant to engage in such lifestyle programs, many are at high risk of several chronic conditions. We have developed an...

Despite the encouraging reduction in new HIV infections in most parts of the world, Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 72% of all new infections worldwide in 2011 [UNAIDS (2012). World AIDS day report. Geneva: Author]. Young women are more likely to be infected than young men. However, the possibilities for doing research on development of strategies...

This chapter draws upon concepts from a social cognitive perspective examining the roles of parents and other significant adults within the entourage around an athlete at important competitive sport events. First, different members of the entourage are presented and their respective contribution to the development of young athletes is discussed. Ne...

he mediating role of types of passion in the relationships between motivational climates and subjective vitality was examined among 283 experienced young Norwegian grassroots football players (aged 12-16 years). A Structural Equation Model (SEM) based path model revealed that mastery climate predicted subjective vitality directly as well as mediate...

Although work represents an important achievement setting, research on the perceived motivational climate, as defined by the achievement goal theory (AGT), remains limited. Calls have been made for research on the salience of such situational influences based on traditional AGT. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop a scale to measure...

The study investigated whether mastery motivational strategies could enhance the effectiveness of life skills interventions for HIV education through sport. A quasi field experimental study was conducted in Tanzania with at‐risk children (n= 564) randomly grouped into two intervention groups and one control group. The intervention groups received A...

The aim of this study was to examine the careers of two successful female elite athletes who later stagnated, and to identify possible factors that might have led to their demotivation. Individual interviews and a focus group interview were conducted. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the stories of April and Hazel raised several issues related t...

The present study was an exploration of organizational stressors perceived by US professional soccer players, and the coping strategies they employed to manage these stressors. Eight players (four female and four male) were interviewed during pre-season training camps. Results of data analysis revealed that contracts, draft, league and team structu...

Understanding Motivation and Achievement BehaviorAchievement Goal Theory in Sport and Physical ActivityGoal OrientationsThe Motivational ClimateAn Interactionist ApproachEnhancing MotivationThe Hierarchical Approach to Achievement GoalsReflections on the Hierarchical Model and Achievement Goal TheoryThe Future of Achievement GoalsConclusion

Advances in Motivation in Sport and Exercise, Third Edition, presents the most current information in sport and exercise motivation, including discussion of new research surrounding self-determination theory and goal achievement theory, traditional topics of goal setting and self-efficacy, and newer areas of attention such as passion and perfection...

The present study explored the experiences of three football goalkeepers coping with negative media coverage. Goalkeeping is a hard position to play as you become scrutinized from all angles, and keepers are often blamed for losses by the media. The study of the media as a stressor is a relatively unexplored field. In this investigation, we chose q...

The purpose of this study was to examine the journalist-athlete relationship at a major competitive event to better understand how the media may be perceived as a source of strain and how elite athletes cope with the media demands. Ten participants were interviewed after the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Intrusive questioning may negatively...

The purpose of this investigation was to examine how football players in a Premier Division in Europe experience media coverage (both outcome and negative content) during one season. We used sequential mixed methods in order to detect the different layers in this exploratory study. The results supported the hypothesis that a performance climate inc...

The purpose of this study was to investigate media and coach-athlete stress experienced by professional football players and their relationship to motivational variables by testing an achievement goal theory (AGT) stress model. In order to do so, we developed scales specifically designed to assess media and coach-athlete stress. Eighty-two elite fo...

We investigated the mediating role of young soccer players' satisfaction of their need for perceived competence, autonomy and social relatedness in the relationship between coach created motivational climates and the players' motivational regulation. Second, the combined effect of climate, mediators and motivational regulation on subjective vitalit...

Elite adolescent sport is a relatively unexplored research field. The purpose of this investigation was to examine how the Norwegian Olympic Youth Team (N=29) experienced competitive and organizational stress during the European Youth Olympic Festival in July 2007 and how they coped with the stressors. Participants were aged 14-17 and competed in h...

This study has investigated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) knowledge, attitudes and sexual at-risk behaviours of youths from disadvantaged communities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Participants were 800 youths aged 12–15 years within three youth subgroups in these poorer communities: those children attending school; children who were not attendin...

ObjectivesThe present paper examined the roles of achievement orientation, perception of the motivational climate, and perceived ability on performance trait anxiety in a sample of national level elite athletes. Gender differences in these relationships were also examined.DesignCross-sectional.MethodsOne hundred and ninety national elite athletes (...

The purpose of this study was to investigate athlete burnout from a social-cognitive perspective by examining the relationship between social cognitive motivational variables at the start of a season and signs of burnout in elite athletes at the end of the season. Participants were 141 (F=60, M=81) elite winter sport athletes competing in Alpine sk...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an ongoing AIDS education intervention program (EMIMA) using peers in a sport context. A secondary purpose was to determine whether a mastery-based motivational strategy would enhance the effectiveness of the peer coaches. A quasi field experimental study was employed in which at-ris...

The present study is founded on achievement goal theory (AGT) and examines the relationship between motivation, social support and performance anxiety with team handball players (n=143) from 10 elite teams. Based on these theories and previous findings, the study has three purposes. First, it was predicted that the female athletes (n=69) would repo...

The present study explored the relationship between task involvement and coping with stress in elite competition. Participants were 82 elite wrestlers, both male (n=60) and female (n=22), from four different European countries, age 16-37. The data for the study were gathered over an 18-month period, and both qualitative in-depth interviews (n=6) an...

The aim of this study was to determine whether quality of self-determined motivation at the start of the competitive season in elite athletes and symptoms of overtraining can predict athlete burnout propensity at the end of the season. The participants were 141 elite winter sport athletes. In September, at the beginning of the season, the athletes...

The purpose of this article was to examine supportive and/or pressuring influences of parents and coaches on young athletes' maladaptive perfectionist tendencies, relationships to friends, and competency perceptions in soccer. Previous research has revealed that parents and coaches may give rise to both enjoyable and stressful sport experiences for...

The purpose of the present research was to develop and validate a Norwegian version of the sport anxiety scale (SAS-N), a multidimensional sport performance trait anxiety inventory. The SAS consists of three unique dimensions measuring somatic anxiety, worry and concentration disruption, respectively. The translation-back translation method was use...

Forty-four elite swimmers (F = 19, M = 25) participated in the present study designed to examine shifts along the self-determined motivation continuum, as well as swings in negative and positive affect, to predict susceptibility to athlete burnout. Each week the participants were asked to record positive and negative affect states. Swimmers’ affect...

This paper documents the history of the role of International Fellow within the Academy. Unfortunately, the available records are not up to date. However, the first Fellows were inducted in 1938, and since then we have inducted 74, at least. When polled, the International Fellows considered the role of International Fellow poorly defined, and gave...

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the perceived motivational climate, achievement goals, perfectionism and indices of peer relationships in a sample of young male and female Norwegian soccer players. The sample consisted of 1719 experienced soccer players (1231 males, 488 females) aged 12-19 years (mean = 14.9 years) par...

ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between perceived motivational climate and moral functioning, moral atmosphere, and legitimizing injurious sports acts among competitive youth football players.DesignA perceived performance climate will be associated with lower moral functioning, less appropriate moral atmosphere perceptions, and a greater...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived motivational climate and gender on sportspersonship behavior of competitive youth football players. Participants were 512 boy and 202 girl Norwegian youth football players (12-14 years old) competing in an international football tournament. A 2 x 2 x 2 (gender, mastery climate...

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the perceived motivational climate, sportspersonship, social–moral functioning and team norms in a sample of young male Norwegian soccer players.Hypotheses: It was expected that a performance-oriented motivational climate would be associated with lower levels of social–moral functioning, sportspersonship...

Objectives: To examine the relationship between task and ego orientations and the use of stress-coping strategies among athletes participating in the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. We expected that athletes who were high on task and low on ego orientation would employ more problem-solving strategies than athletes with other ego and task profiles. We al...

In achievement contexts such as sport, achievement goal theory assumes that an individual's major concern is to demonstrate competence. However, competence may be expressed in two ways: as task and ego involvement (Nicholls, 1989). Seventy-eight boys (M age = 13.6 years) performed five climbing courses, and the influence of achievement goals, perce...

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of moral atmosphere and perceived performance motivational climate on moral functioning of college basketball players and to determine the relationship between moral atmosphere and perceived performance motivational climate. A total of 199 athletes par-ticipated in the study. Structural equation mod...

The present study was designed to examine the contribution of goal orientations and the influence of perceived ability as a moderating factor in predicting sportspersonship in competitive youth soccer. Participants were 511 Norwegian male youth soccer players, from ages 13 to 16, participating in the Norway Cup International Football Tournament. Fi...

Recent research investigating the effect of the motivational climate has found that even elite athletes benefit from a mastery climate. The purpose of the present study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the importance of the climate surrounding an athlete and the role of the coach for elite athletes by conducting in-depth interviews with a gr...

In this article, we focus on the mentoring process, and we argue that the internal and external pressures extant at research universities may create a research culture that may be antithetical to appropriate mentoring. We developed a scale based on motivation theory to determine the perceived research culture in departments and research laboratorie...

Development of and influence on ethical beliefs were surveyed at a major research university campus. Courses were ranked by faculty and students as most important. Mentors were ranked eighth in a list of nine factors. Of the 1,152 returned student questionnaires, 97 (8.4%) made the effort to write comments, and of the 610 faculty questionnaires ret...

In a recent article, Harwood, Hardy, and Swain (2000) presented what they termed a critical analysis of the conceptualization and measurement of achievement goals in sport. The purpose of the present article is to challenge their interpretation of achievement goal theory and to question many of their subsequent recommendations. Specifically, the pr...

The present study examined the relationship between students' perceptions of the motivational climate and beliefs about the causes of success, preference for challenging tasks, and satisfaction in physical education. Responses of 50 female and 46 male students (M age = 12.08 years; SD = .72) showed that perceptions of a mastery-oriented motivationa...

This study examined the role of achievement goals on indices of moral functioning (i.e., moral judgment, intention and behavior), unsportsmanlike attitudes, and judgments about the legitimacy of intentionally injurious acts in college basketball players. Male (n = 56) and female (n = 143) athletes completed questionnaires assessing the aforemention...

Situational factors as well as individual differences are assumed to play an important role in perceptions of stress. One factor that may affect an elite athlete's perception of stress may be his or her perceived motivational climate. To examine the relative importance of dispositional and situational factors on the perceptions of distress (i.e. ne...

Contemporary perspectives of achievement motivation have been based on social cognitive theories which give motivational climate a central place in the regulation of subsequent affective states, cognitions and behaviour in achievement contexts. This study examined the relationship between different profiles of the motivational climate in teamsport...

This study examined the relationship of goal orientations to adolescent athletes' perceptions of the criteria used by significant others to assess their spout success. 90 boys and 44 girls involved in track and field and tennis completed the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) to measure goal orientation, and the Perception of Significant Ot...

This study aimed to compare individual and situational motivational factors and the use of coping strategies among elite athletes with and without physical disabilities. Participants were Norwegian athletes from the 1994 Winter Olympics (n = 69) and Paralympics (n = 30) at Lillehammer. Quantitative data came from questions concerning expectations a...

This study examined the relationship between perceived motivational climate and intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy and determined the role of goal orientation and perceived motivational climate in predicting intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. College students (N= 285) enrolled in beginning tennis classes completed a battery of questionnair...

Achievement goal theory states that dispositional goal orientations and perceptions of the climate are two dimensions of motivation that interact to affect behavior in achievement settings. Research to date, however, has primarily dealt with these two variables in isolation. The present study initially examined the concomitants of mastery and perfo...

Recent research into motivation and achievement behaviour in sport has focused on achievement goal theory. This theory states that two goal orientations manifest themselves in achievement contexts and impact on the motivation process. These two goals have been defined as 'task' and 'ego' goal orientations. This paper traces the development of the P...

Based on Ames' conception of situational goal structures, the present study investigated whether achievement-related cognitions and affect were related to specific motivational climates. The participants were 148 experienced students in team sport at a Norwegian university who responded to a questionnaire on their perceptions of the motivational cl...

The present study examined the relationship between dispositional achieve-ment goal orientations and satisfaction and beliefs about success in sport. Par-ticipants were 333 students who were administered the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) (Roberts & Balague, 1989,1991; Roberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1995), Beliefs about Success, and Sati...

The goal perspective theories of motivated behavior are primarily concerned with the social, psychological, and behavioral antecedents and consequences of two goal perspectives of task orientation and ego orientation. According to Nicholls, goal perspectives may also influence the way individuals perceive the purpose of their involvement in achieve...

Examined the relationship between perceived motivational climate (PMC) and intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy (SE) and determined the role of dispositional goal orientation (DGO) and PMC in predicting intrinsic motivation and SE. 147 male and 119 female university students enrolled in tennis classes completed questionnaires assessing PMC, DGO,...

Nicholls' motivation conceptual framework pertaining to achievement goals was used to study the relationship between two implicit goal orientations (task and ego) and achievement cognitions and beliefs about the competitive team sport experience. The study examined the relationship between the goal orientations and purposes of team sport, motivatio...

Given the widespread concern regarding the motivation of students, the paucity of research in education on motivation enhancement is surprising (Arnes, 1992a; Maehr & Midgley, 1991). Recent research from an achievement goal perspective, however, has begun to address this issue. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the basic tenets of...

This study investigated the effect of holding either a task- or an ego-oriented goal perspective on the perception of the purpose of sport, achievement strategies in practice and competition, satisfaction, and focus in competition. A total of 338 young adults were assessed for task- and ego-oriented achievement goals, the purposes of sport, and ach...

The purpose of this study was a preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Perception of Success Questionnaire among adolescents. The questionnaire was developed to assess dispositional achievement goal orientation. Responses of 96 adolescents (M = 11.3 yr.) suggest that the questionnaire has a stable factor structure and accepta...

We examined the achievement goals of parents' in relation to their interpretation of their child's sporting behavior, preference for certain types of performance feedback about their child, the types of tasks they prefer their child to engage in, and their beliefs about the cause of their child's performance. The sample consisted of 96 parents whos...

Recent research with young adolescents (Duda, Fox, Biddle, & Armstrong, 1992) and with older adolescents (Duda, 1989) has reported a conceptually coherent relationship between individuals' achievement goal orientations and their beliefs about competitive sport. The purpose of the present study was to extend this line of research and examine the cog...

Various theories have been proposed to explain children's motivation to participate and achievement in sport. This paper reviews recent researches realized in the goal orientation perspective. In this case, task and ego orientation are considered like governing the manner in which individuals cope with achievement situations, interpre- tate and eva...