Profile picture of Dr Paul Appleton

Dr Paul Appleton

Senior Lecturer in Coaching and Sport Development

Programme Lead, MSc Sport and Exercise Science, MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology, MSC Strength & Conditioning

My profile

Biography

Academic Qualifications:

July 2009          PhD, University of Bedfordshire

July 2014         FHEA, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, The Higher Education Academy

July 2014         PCAP, Post-graduate Certificate in Academic Practice, University of Birmingham

Previous appointments:

2006-2009                     Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology – University of Bedfordshire.

2009-2021                     Post-Doctoral Fellow- University of Birmingham

Interests and expertise

I have an interest in using psychology-based theories of motivation and human functioning to understand optimal engagement and the promotion of well-being via participation in sport. Much of my work has concentrated on evaluating coach and teacher education workshops in national and international projects. This includes:

  • examining empowering and disempowering motivational climates
  • understanding the motivational antecedents of optional engagement and well-being in sport contexts
  • relationships between motivation variables and interpersonal violence in sport
  • development and validation of questionnaires

Get in touch

Institute of Sport

Projects

I am currently leading a project examining interpersonal violence in athletes across eight countries funded by the IOC. 

Teaching

I currently lead the Professional Skills and Dissertation units on the MSc courses and the Sport and Youth Leadership units on the BSc Sport and Youth Leadership degree. 

Supervision

I am currently supervising one PhD student at MMU and 2 at the University of Birmingham. I also supervise MSc and BSc students on the research dissertation project units. 

Research outputs

Book Chapters

Duda, J. L., Appleton, P. R. & Balaguer, I.(2024). Empowering and disempowering motivational climates. In S. Jowett, L. Davis, & R. Keegan (Eds). Social Psychology in Sport, 2nd Edition. Leeds, Human Kinetics. 

Duda, J. L., & Appleton, P. R., Stebbings, J., Balaguer, I. (2018). Towards more empowering and less disempowering environments in youth sport. In C. J. Knight, C. G. Harwood, & D. Gould (Eds). Sport Psychology for Young Athletes. London: Routledge. 

Duda, J. L., & Appleton, P. R. (2016). Empowering and disempowering coaching behaviours: Conceptualisation, measurement considerations, and intervention implications. In M. Raab, P. Wylleman, R. Seiler, A-M. Elbe, & A. Harzigeorgiadis, A. (Eds), Sport and Exercise Psychology Research: From Theory to Practice (pp. 373-388). Elsevier.

Appleton, P. R., & Curran, T. (2016). The origins of perfectionism in sport, dance, and exercise: An introduction to the conceptual model of perfectionism development. In A. P. Hill (Ed.), Psychology of Perfectionism in sport, dance and exercise. London: Routledge.

Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., & Duda, J. L. (2016). What do coaches learn and can new knowledge be effectively applied? In (Eds). Allison, W., Abraham, A. & Cale, A. Advances in Coach Education and Development: from research to practice. Routledge.

Ntoumanis, N., & Appleton, P. R. (2016). Mediation and moderation via regression analysis. In Ntoumanis, N., & Myers, N. (Eds). An introduction to intermediate and advanced statistical analyses for sport and exercise scientists. Wiley: London.

Duda, J. L., Papaioannou, A., Appleton. P. R., Quested, E. J., & Krommidas, C. (2014). Creating adaptive motivational climates in sport and education. In A. Papaioannou and D. Hackfort (Eds.), Fundamental Concepts in Sport and Exercise Psychology (pp. 544-558). Taylor & Francis.

Hall, H. K., Hill, A. P., & Appleton, P. R. (2013). Perfectionism: Its development and its influence on emerging talent in youth sport. In Lidor, R. & Cote, J. (Eds.), Conditions of Children’s Talent Development in Sport. FIT Publishers.

Hall, H. K., Hill, A. P., & Appleton, P. R. (2012). Perfectionism: A foundation for sporting excellence or an uneasy pathway toward purgatory? In G. C. Roberts & D. Treasure (Eds.). Motivation in sport and exercise: Volume 3. Human Kinetics.

Journal Articles

Elsborg, P., Appleton, P.R., Pons, J.,  Wikman, J.M., Bentsen, P., & Nielsen, G. (2023). Factorial validity, predictive validity and measurement invariance of the Danish version of the coach-created Empowering Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C). Journal of Sport Sciences, 41, 1-12.

Pons, J., Ramis, Y., Torregrossa, M.,  Sarrazin, P., Maltagliati, S., Krommidas, C., Appleton, P.R., Gobbi, E., Erturan, G., Escriva–Boulley, G., Duda, J.L., Martins, J., Demirhan, G., Carraro, A., Bouglas, V., Papaioannou, A.G., (2023), Physical education motivational climate, on the achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation of students: a multilevel approach. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Moulds, K., Fraser, K. K., Karp, J., Kapocius, O., Heathcote, M., Appleton, P. R., & Cobley, S. (2023). Coach-created motivational climate ratings differentiate between dropout and continuation in Australian youth swimming. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 

Appleton, P.R.,  Viladrich, C., Quested, E., González-García, L., Papaioannou, A., Hall, H.K., Balaguer, I., Ramis, Y., Sarrazin, P., Heuzé, J-P., Ommundsen, Y., Wold, B.,  Samdal, O., Duda, J.L., (2023). Measurement invariance of the empowering and disempowering motivational climate questionnaire-coach in youth sport. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 958444. 

Ruiz, M.C., Appleton, P. R., Duda, J. L., Bortoli, L., Robazza, C. (2021). Social environmental antecedents of athletes’ emotions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 4997.

Atienza, F. L., Castillo, I., Appleton, P. R., & Balaguer, I.(2020). Examining the Mediating Role of Motivation in the Relationship between Multidimensional Perfectionism and Well- and Ill-Being in Vocational Dancers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17.

Sukys, S., Kromerova-Dubinskiene, E., & Appleton, P. R. (2020).Validation of the Lithuanian Version of the Coach-Created Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17.

Milton, D., Appleton, P. R.,Bryant, A., & Duda, J. L. (2018). Initial validation of the teacher-created Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire in PE (EDMCQ-PE). Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 37, 340-351.

Erturan İlker, G., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., & Duda, J. L. (2018). Testing the Universal Role of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction across Countries and in Different Academic Subjects. Psychology in the Schools, 55, 350-365.

Fenton, S. A.M., Duda, J. L., Appleton, P. R., & Barrett, T. G. (2017). Empowering youth sport environments: implications for daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and adiposity. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 6, 423-433. 

Gjesdal, S., Appleton, P. R., Ommundsen, Y. (2017). Both the “What” and “Why” of youth sports participation matter; a conditional process analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 8.

Appleton, P. R.,  & Duda, J. L. (2016). Examining the interactive effects of coach-created empowering and disempowering climate dimensions on athletes’ health and functioning. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 26, 61-70.

Hill, A.P., Appleton, P. R., & Mallinson, S. (2016). Development and Initial Validation of the Perfect Performance Scale for Sport (PPS-S). Invited paper for a special issue (Advances in the Assessment of Perfectionism). Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34, 653−669.

Smith, N., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., & Duda, J. L. (2016). A Review of Observational Instruments to Assess the Motivational Environment in Sport and Physical Education Setting. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 9,134-159.

Smith, N., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., & Duda, J. L. (2016). Observing the coach-created motivational environment across training and competition in youth sport. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35, 149-158.

Smith, N., Tessier, D., Tzioumakis, Y., Fabra, P., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., et al., (2016). The relationship between observed and perceived assessments of the coach- created motivational environment and links to athlete motivation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 23, 51-63.

Appleton, P. R., Ntoumanis, N., Quested, E., Viladrich, C., & Duda, J. L. (2016). Initial validation of the coach-created Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C). Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 22, 53–65.

Curran, T., Hill, A. P., Appleton, P. R., Vallerand, R. J., & Standage, M. (2015). The psychology of passion: A meta-analytical review of a decade of research on intrapersonal outcomes. Motivation and Emotion, 39, 631-655.

Ho, M. S. H., Appleton, P. R., Cumming, J. & Duda, J. L. (2015). Examining the Relationship between Perfectionism Dimensions and Burning Out Symptoms in Deaf and Hearing Athletes. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 9, 156-172 

Smith, N., Tessier, D., Tzioumakis, Y., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., et al. (2015). Development and Validation of the Multidimensional Motivational Climate Observation System (MMCOS). Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 37, 4-22.

Hill, A. P., Stoeber, J., Brown, A., & Appleton, P. R. (2014). Team perfectionism and team performance: A prospective study. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 36, 303-315.

Hill, A. P., Appleton, P. R., & Hall, H. K. (2014). Perfectionism in sport and dance: Introduction to special issue. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 45, 265-270.

Papaioannou, A. G., Appleton, P. R., Torregrosa, M., Jowett, G. E., Bosselut, G., Gonzalez, G., Haug, E., Ertesvaag, V., & Zourbanos, N. (2013). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and personal well-being in European youth soccer players: Invariance of physical activity, global self-esteem and vitality across five countries. (Special Issue: The European-based ‘PAPA’ Project: Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity). International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 351-364.

Viladrich, C., Appleton, P. R., Quested, E., Duda, J. L., Alcaraz, S., Heuzé, J., Fabra, P., Samdal, O., Ommundsen, Y., Hill, A. P., Zourbanos, N., & Ntoumanis, N. (2013). Measurement invariance of the Behavioural Regulation in Sport Questionnaire when completed by young athletes across five European countries. (Special Issue: The European-based ‘PAPA’ Project: Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity). International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 384-394. 

Curran, T.,Appleton, P. R., Hill, A. P., & Hall, H. K. (2013). The mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in relationships between types of passion for sport and athlete burnout. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31, 597-606.

Appleton, P. R. & Hill, A. P. (2012). Perfectionism and athlete burnout in junior elite athletes: The mediating role of motivation regulations. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 6, 129-145.

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., &Appleton, P. R.(2012). An assessment of the similarities between a measure of positive perfectionism and a measure of conscientious achievement striving. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 13, 353-359.

Appleton, P. R., Hall, H. K., & Hill, A. P. (2011). Examining the influence of the parent-initiated and coach-created motivational climate upon athletes’ perfectionistic cognitions. Journal of Sports Sciences, 7, 661-671.

Curran, T,Appleton, P. R., Hill, A. P. & Hall, H. K. (2011). Passion and burnout in elite junior soccer players: The mediating role of self-determined motivation. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 12, 655-661.

Hill, A. P. & Appleton, P. R. (2011). The predictive ability of the frequency of perfectionistic cognitions, self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism in relation to symptoms of burnout in youth rugby players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29, 695-703.

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., &Appleton, P. R.(2011). The relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and contingent self-worth. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 238-242.

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., Duda, J. L., &Appleton, P. R. (2011). The cognitive, affective and behavioural responses of self-oriented perfectionists following successive failure on a muscular endurance task. International Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 9, 189-207.

Appleton, P. R., Hall, H. K., & Hill, A. P. (2010). Family patterns of perfectionism: An examination of elite junior athletes and their parents. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 363-371.

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., &Appleton, P. R.(2010). Perfectionism and athlete burnout in junior elite athletes: The mediating role of coping tendencies. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 23, 415-430

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., &Appleton, P. R. (2010).Perfectionism and burnout in canoe polo and kayak slalom athletes: The mediating influence of validation and growth seeking. The Sport Psychologist, 24, 16-34.

Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., &Appleton, P. R.(2010).A comparative examination of the correlates of self-oriented perfectionism and conscientious achievement striving in male cricket academy players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 162-168.

Appleton, P. R., Hall, H. K., & Hill, A. P. (2009). Relations between multidimensional perfectionism and burnout in junior-elite male athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10, 457-465.

Hall, H. K., Hill, A. P., Appleton, P. R. & Kozub, S. A. (2009). The mediating influence of unconditional self-acceptance and labile self-esteem on the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and exercise dependence. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 10, 35-44.

Hall, H. K., Hill, A., & Appleton, P. R(2009). Student investment in a research design course: The influence of achievement orientations on motivational patterns. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 8, 17-33.