Adolescent free time activity participation and its relationships with perceptions of parenting and intrinsic motivation
type: CreativeWork
description: The positive youth development framework emphasizes those developmental tasks and milestones that assist youth in the successful transition to adulthood. These developmental affordances thrive in contexts where social-emotional, physical and institutional resources e.g., family supports, resources, and socializing agents such as school and churches) are present. The current study is guided by Self-Determination Theory, which recognizes the important role that parents play in what youth do in their free time by articulating how youth internalize and value specific free time behaviors through autonomy supportive practices. Autonomy supportive parenting practices are those that allow youth to experience freedom and control in free time. Parenting practices (e.g., monitoring, involvement) that lack autonomy supportive traits (e.g., openness, agreeableness) and involvement during free time thwart the internalization process associated with motivation. The relationship between parents and youth is key to guiding youth to structured experiences that aid in development (e.g., sports, extracurricular activities), as well as making appropriate choices when faced with the prospect of unstructured free time. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between autonomy support from parents, free time motivation and types of recreation participation. Specifically, this study examined activity profiles of rural youth (N=283) and found that respondents' activity patterns were either after school/sports-based or home-based in their free time. The study compared youth by activity profiles on measures of intrinsic motivation and parent autonomy support. The relationships between intrinsic motivation, age of respondents, and perceptions of autonomy support from parents were also examined. No differences were observed between the after school based and home-based activity profiles with respect to intrinsic motivation or reported levels of parent autonomy support. A relati…
abstract: The positive youth development framework emphasizes those developmental tasks and milestones that assist youth in the successful transition to adulthood. These developmental affordances thrive in contexts where social-emotional, physical and institutional resources e.g., family supports, resources, and socializing agents such as school and churches) are present. The current study is guided by Self-Determination Theory, which recognizes the important role that parents play in what youth do in their free time by articulating how youth internalize and value specific free time behaviors through autonomy supportive practices. Autonomy supportive parenting practices are those that allow youth to experience freedom and control in free time. Parenting practices (e.g., monitoring, involvement) that lack autonomy supportive traits (e.g., openness, agreeableness) and involvement during free time thwart the internalization process associated with motivation. The relationship between parents and youth is key to guiding youth to structured experiences that aid in development (e.g., sports, extracurricular activities), as well as making appropriate choices when faced with the prospect of unstructured free time. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between autonomy support from parents, free time motivation and types of recreation participation. Specifically, this study examined activity profiles of rural youth (N=283) and found that respondents' activity patterns were either after school/sports-based or home-based in their free time. The study compared youth by activity profiles on measures of intrinsic motivation and parent autonomy support. The relationships between intrinsic motivation, age of respondents, and perceptions of autonomy support from parents were also examined. No differences were observed between the after school based and home-based activity profiles with respect to intrinsic motivation or reported levels of parent autonomy support. A relati…
author: Lubben, Isaiah C
language: en
keywords: Recreation, Motivation, Adolescents, Development
date published: 2019-12-10
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:13:41Z
provider: East Carolina University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: East Carolina University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10342/7651