Running head: A META-ANALYSIS OF PLOC A Meta-Analysis of Perceived Locus of Causality in Exercise, Sport, and Physical Education Contexts

The present article conducts a meta-analytic review of the research adopting the perceived locus of causality in the contexts of sport, exercise, and physical education. A literature search of published articles identified three main research foci: (a) the development of instruments that assess perceived locus of causality; (b) the examination of the construct validity of perceived locus of causality by investigating the relevance of the selfdetermination continuum as well as by using antecedents (e.g., perceived competence) and outcomes (e.g., intentions); and (c) to integrate Nicholls’ (1985) concepts of task and ego orientation with perceived locus of causality. A meta-analysis using 21 published articles supported the existence of a self-determination continuum from external regulation to introjection and identification. In addition, path analysis of corrected effect sizes supported the mediating effects of perceived locus of causality on the relationship between perceived competence and intentions. Results are discussed with reference to the assumptions of selfdetermination theory, Vallerand’s (1997) hierarchical model of intrinsic extrinsic motivation and of theories of behavioral intentions.