european college of sport science

Thursday, June 25th, 2009
sample does not identify the Win orientation as being distinct. Further research is required to establish the psychometric characteristics
that would form the basis of a future adaptation of this Sport Orientation Questionnaire.
References
Gill, D.L, Deeter, T.E (1988) Research Quarterly for exercise and sport, 59:3, 191:202
Vallerand, R.J., & Halliwell, W.R. (1983), Canadian journal of applied sport sciences, 8, 9:18
Streiner D.L., Norman G.R.(1996), Oxford University Press, Oxford
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN SELF-DETERMINED MOTIVATION AND SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT AND OVERTRAINING
AMONG TOP LEVEL CROSS-COUNTRY SKIERS.
HEGGEBØ, F., LEMYRE, P.N., NILSEN, D.A., PENSGAARD, A.M.
COACHING AND PSYCHOLOGY
Theory: Fulfillment of the three basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness is crucial for individual development and well
being [1]. The quest to fulfill these basic needs and whether one is successful at it will affect the quality of the motivation to initiate and
pursue an activity. Thwarting basic needs and participating in sports for extrinsic reasons are believed to affect well being and lead to
maladaptive behavioral outcomes [1]. Contemporary research in athlete burnout has suggested that seasonal variations in selfdetermined
motivation are meaningfully linked to symptoms of burnout in elite athletes [2,3]. Athlete burnout is defined as a syndrome of
“physical and emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced sense of accomplishment” [4], and symptoms of overtraining have
been found to be a precursor of athlete burnout [2]. Thus, the aim of this study was to add to the current body of knowledge and study
how motivation and overtraining symptoms are linked to the development of burnout at a crucial training period of the season in elite x-c
ski racers.
Method: A sample of elite Norwegian cross-country skiers (n = 32) aged from 18-23 years (Mode = 18), and training 700-800 hours a year
participated in this study. Data were collected in November, in the pre-competitive phase, using the ABQ, SMS and SOSQ.
Results: Findings yielded a negative moderate relationship between self-determined motivation and burnout. Intrinsic motivation was
moderately negatively related with the devaluation of the sport experience. A positive moderate relationship emerged between the
emotional and physical exhaustion and externally regulated motivation. Additionally, amotivation was positively linked to burnout and the
devaluation of the sport experience. Finally, results indicate that when athletes display high levels of self-determined motivation, overtraining
symptoms are low; however when levels of self-determined motivation were low athletes experiences elevated symptoms of
overtraining.
Conclusions: Current results support previous study findings in that levels of self-determined motivation in elite cross country skiers are
meaningfully linked to overtraining and athlete burnout symptoms.
1. Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self determination of behavior. Psychol Inq
2000: 11, 227-268
2. Lemyre, P-N., Roberts, G.C., & Stray-Gundersen, J. (2007). Motivation, overtraining, and burnout: Can self-determination predict overtraining
and burnout in elite athletes? European Journal of Sport Science, 7, 115-126.
3. Lemyre, P-N., Treasure, D.C., & Roberts, G.C. (2006). Influence of Variability in Motivation and Effect on Elite Athelete Burnout. Journal of
Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12, 32-48.
4. Raedeke, T.D. (1997). Is athlete burnout more than just stress? A sport commitment perspective. Journal of Sport and Exersice Psychology,
19, 396-417.
CHILDREN’S MAP-READING IN ORIENTEERING; A STUDY OF NATURAL, ‘REAL-WORLD’ MAP-READING FOR WAYFIND-
ING
SIGURJONSSON, T.
HEDMARK UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Sigurjónsson, T.
Hedmark University College, Faculty of health and sports, Elverum
Norway
Introduction: Children’s development of experience of map-reading for way finding is of great interest for the instructor in orienteering
(Ottosson, 1987). From my point of view this is interplay between the map-reader, the map and the terrain. The relative importance of
each component to the overall performance in the terrain is a debated issue (Sigurjónsson, 2007). The aim of my study was to study this
interplay and to characterise children’s development of experiences of map-reading in orienteering.
Methods: The empirical material was generated from audio and video-taped fieldwork in a naturalistic setting with follow-up conversations
where specific situations from the fieldwork were watched on a television. The techniques of head-mounted-camera were used.
The method both focus on children’s attention towards the map and the attention towards the environment around them. Two fieldworks
where carried out. One of them took place in a school area where 16 children - 8 girls and 8 boys aged 5:11 to 9:7 - participated. The
other took place in woodland in the neighbourhood of the school and 12 children - 6 girls and 6 boys aged 9:11 to 12:6 - participated.
Results: The empirical material indicates two extremes with regards to describing the interaction in the map-reading ecosystem. At the
one extreme there is behaviour which is characterised by a clearly defined readiness for the forthcoming movement. This gives focal
awareness and active interaction between the child, the map and the terrain. At the other extreme there is behaviour where the child
only to a small degree forms a readiness for his or her movement. This gives poor interaction in the interplay. The attention is pointed
towards direction and less towards specific terrain detail. Therefore the children in this case experience hesitancy, and a more active
reflection where they try to focus on specific terrain detail on the map and in the terrain is initiated.
Conclusions: An important finding in the study is that the symbolic map is experienced as a difficult aid for the beginner child. Therefore
the children have difficulties in building up a good state of readiness for the terrain they are to move around in. The children in the primary
school carry out parts of the course with perspective maps. With this aid they are able to form more clearly defined readiness and
become more focused on specific terrain details. On the basis of the findings some implications for teaching map-reading and mapunderstanding
are discussed and a model for a progressive approach is suggested.
My results suggest that cognitive expertise in the real-world represents a key factor in teaching in orienteering and that this accelerates
the development of visual attention towards relevant terrain details.
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