Sport Motivation Scale

The SMS is a 24–28 item questionnaire measuring the motivational reasons athletes engage in sport, organized along the continuum of Self-Determination Theory: from intrinsic motivation (inherent enjoyment, mastery, excitement) through extrinsic forms (identified goals, introjected norms, external rewards) to amotivation (lack of intent). Developed by Pelletier and colleagues in 1995, the SMS has become the leading instrument for assessing sport motivation quality and predicting athlete engagement, retention, and psychological wellbeing.