Validity of The Hierarchical Model of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in School Sports

Abstract The theme of the present study is self-determination. The objective was to test the Hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - HMIEM. It is a linear, sequential and unidirectional theoretical-explanatory model based on the Self-Determination Theory, which presupposes the causal relationship between ‘social factors’, ‘psychological mediators’, ‘self-determination’, and ‘consequences’. The sample consisted of 517 students (nm = 303; nf = 214) who practiced school sports, aged 13 to 19 years (IMG = 15.32; σ = 1.46), regularly enrolled in classes ranging from the last year of primary education to the third year of high school in public and private schools in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The research was approved by CEP - UFRGS, under approval number 2008055. The HMIEM was tested with path analysis and structural equations. The results indicated that the model has adequate indexes of validity in the studied sample.