Approach-avoidance motivation in children participating in the PACER in a small town in southern California

The purpose of the study was to examine the motivation and performance of children completing the PACER.;A total of 292 fifth and sixth grade students participated in the study. The sample population was representative of the total school population in gender, grade distribution, and ethnic diversity. The students were divided into three groups. All three groups participated in the PACER during week one and week four. The first group (music group) did not attend PE class during weeks two and three. Thus, the music group did not run the PACER during weeks two and three nor have any organized physical activity during school time. The second group (control group) continued regular PE class which entailed running the PACER every week. The third group (experimental group) also continued regular PE except the experimental group replaced the PACER with an alternate cardio activity during weeks two and three.;The study utilized the Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport (ACGQ-S). The ACGQ-S helps determine the motivation subjects display when participating in sport. Four motivational categories are represented in this questionnaire. Mastery approach (MAp) and mastery avoidance (MAv) motivation demonstrate striving to master a task and determined to not do worse than previously, respectfully. Mastery approach and mastery avoidance are intrinsic types of motivation. Performance approach (PAp) and performance avoidance (PAv) motivation demonstrate striving to do better than others and determined to avoid doing worse than others. Performance approach and performance avoidance are extrinsic types of motivation.;Statistical significance was found in three of the six research questions. First, statistical significance was found in motivation for the students performing well in the PACER. The analysis was significant for MAp F(2, 289) = 8.23, p = .001. The students who demonstrated high proficiency (M = 4.47, SD = .87) versus the students who demonstrated medium (M = 3.95, SD = 1.02) and low proficiency (M = 3.80, SD = 1.13) on the PACER differed significantly.;Second, statistical significance was found in the performance of the students. Results revealed a significant difference (p = .004) between the pre-test (M = 47.22, SD = 19.65) and post-test (M = 42.23, SD = 20.90) for the students missing PE for two weeks (music group). A significant difference (p = .019) was also found between the pre-test (M = 45.81, SD = 18.31) and post-test ( M = 42.30, SD = 19.35) for the students participating in an alternate cardio activity (experimental group).;Third, BMI was shown to predict the number of laps a student will run in the PACER, R = .41, F(1,289) = 28.55, p = .001. The correlation was as BMI increases, ability to run laps decreases (B = -2.21, SE = 1.13, beta = -.56, p = .05). A correlation was also found between BMI and MAv motivation. In addition, students with lower BMI (and who were therefore healthier) displayed significantly higher Performance Approach (PAp) motivation on the ACQG-S (p = .025).;The importance of the findings in the study can be directed toward physical educators using fitness testing to motivate students. The motivation of the participants was not dependent on the students' gender or school grade. The students' motivation was determined by the students' performance. The students displaying a high performance on the PACER, demonstrated a higher mastery approach motivation than the students with a moderate or low performance on the PACER.;BMI was a predictor of performance and MAv motivation. Also, PAp motivation was higher for the students with a lower, healthier BMI. Physical educators can use these statistics to help students realize the importance of healthy eating and increasing physical activity in order to maintain a lower BMI.