Browsing by Author "Rivera, Joshua H., 1980-"

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Exercise behavior and motivation for physical readiness training of soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC : a qualitative single case study.
(2023-08) Rivera, Joshua H., 1980-; Kaul, Corina R., 1969-
Soldiers often struggle to stay motivated to excel in physical fitness and reach their peak physical performance. This lack of motivation presents a problem for the U.S. Army because physical fitness is essential for combat readiness. If soldiers are not combat-ready for the physical demands of future wars, then the nation’s national security may be at risk. Soldiers must be ready to face any physical fitness challenges that can occur on the battlefield. This qualitative single case study investigated why and how some soldiers achieve peak physical fitness and what strategies these individuals use to attain their determination to address the problem. Their experiences can help with the problem with the motivation problem and thereby increase physical readiness. Snowball sampling resulted in eight volunteer soldiers who self-reported high degrees of peak physical conditioning. Data collected included semi-structured interviews, in-person observations of soldier workouts, and analysis of workout routines. The data analysis process deductively identified five a priori themes related to the self-determination theory (SDT): autonomy, competence, relatedness, and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, inductive coding captured three themes: life events that triggered working out, work out passion, and strategies to stay motivated. The emergent theme of strategies to stay motivated bifurcates into self-talk and goal-setting components. The study’s results found that seven of the eight participants’ data supported all five a priori themes. Only one participant did not exhibit the a prior themes of competence during the interview, observation, or with his collected artifact. The emergent themes yielded similar results, with six of the eight participants displaying all three emergent themes. Two participants did not discuss life events during their interview that led to their pursuit of peak physical fitness. The results and implications of this study could assist key senior and mid-level leaders and individual soldiers in tackling the motivation problem among service members in the U.S. Army. The physical fitness strategies identified in this study, such as self-talk and goal setting, can help increase physical performance by assisting soldiers to stay motivated.