Motivation and competitive anxiety among young football players in saudi arabiaa self-determination theory approach

Résumé

The main aim of this thesis was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of young football players’ motivation, competitive anxiety, the association between these two variables, and Basic Psychological Needs (BPN) satisfaction in the Saudi Arabian context based on the application of Self-determination Theory (SDT). The thesis consists of two studies. The first study was aimed to provide valid and reliable instruments that could be used to measure motivational and emotional constructs within the Saudi context. The participants comprised 355 young male football players from Saudi Arabia, whose ages ranged between 16 and 20 years old. The findings revealed that both the Behavioral Regulation in Sports Questionnaire (BRSQ) and Sports Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) had acceptable psychometric properties and showed evidence of validity in the Arabic versions. The second study included two objectives. The first objective was to describe the motivation, BPN satisfaction, and competitive anxiety of young football players in Saudi Arabia. The sample size comprised 221 young male Saudi football players ranging in age between 16 and 20 years old. The Arabic versions of the BRSQ and SAS-2 were used in this study in addition to the BPN satisfaction questionnaire. The results showed that the players recognized the concepts of motivation based on SDT with a high and moderately-high levels of BPN satisfaction, regarding competitive anxiety, the findings showed a moderate level of worry and low levels of somatic anxiety and concentration disruption. The second objective of the second study was to explore the relationship between motivation, BPN satisfaction, and competitive anxiety among young football players in Saudi Arabia. According to the cluster analysis, and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), the results showed significant differences between three clusters (i.e., a high self-determined group, a moderately controlled group, and an all high-regulation group) and some variables of this study. The moderately controlled group showed significantly higher means in competence satisfaction, while the all-regulation group showed significantly higher means in both somatic anxiety and concentration disruption. Based on the findings, the evidence led to the conclusion that the Arabic versions of BRSQ and SAS-2 are valid for use in sports psychology research on an Arabic-speaking population. At a descriptive level, we identified behavioral regulations based on SDT and BPN satisfaction and competitive anxiety. On the relational level, the three derived clusters may be relevant in the context of young Saudi football. Thus, individuals with different motivational profiles might benefit the most from tailored intervention approaches.