The Effect of Geographic Mobility on Selected Psychological Variables in Eighth and Ninth Grade Students

This study was conducted to better identify psychological variables, particularly sport specific psychological variables, which are associated with geographic mobility. Geographic mobility was defined both as distance moved and as number of moves. Two-hundred-one eighth and ninth grade students were selected as subjects for this study. All subjects were administered the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (S.E.), the Physical Estimation Scale (EST), the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT), and the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scale. Subjects also completed a study-designed form created to produce personal data needed to determine each subjects level of geographic mobility. The specific hypotheses tested were: (I) that high-mobile students will have significantly lower self-esteem scores than low-mobile students, (II) that high-mobile students will have significantly lower estimation scores than low-mobile students, (III) that high-mobile students will have significantly higher competitive trait anxiety scores than low-mobile students, and (IV) that high-mobile students will have significantly higher fear of negative evaluation scores than low-mobile students. Hypotheses I and II were supported statistically for both definitions of geographic mobility. Hypothesis IV acheived statistical support only when distance moved was used to define mobility. Discriminant function analysis was conducted in an attempt to better identify salient variables related to geographic mobility. The best ii discriminator of high and low mobility groups was identified to be global self-esteem accounting for an overall classification accuracy of 71.3%. Results of this research identified global self-esteem, physical estimation, and fear of negative evaluation as the intrapersonal factors related to the geographic mobility construct. It was recommended that future studies concentrate on distance of moves as a method of defining mobility and that they explore the possible effects of high-mobility on athletic participation and performance.

and ninth grade students were selected as subjects for this study.        (Lacey and Blane, 1979). Theorists such as Mead (1934) and Erickson (1950) maintain that continuity of environment is vital to a healthy self-concept development.
A study by Kroger (1980) revealed a significant negative correlation between distance of moves and self-concept scores.
Since the beginning of American history, geographic mobility has been a characteristic of this nation's population. Kroger (1980) indicates that a large percentage of adolescents will have experienced at least one residential change by the time they enter eleventh grade. School sample (N = 103) was selected systematically.
The specific hypotheses examined in this study were: Hypothesis l High-mobile students will have significantly lower self-esteem scores than low-mobile students.
Hypothesis II High-mobile students will have significantly lower estimation scores than low-mobile students.

Hypothesis III
High-mobile students will have significantly higher competitive trait anxiety scores than low-mobile students.

Hypothesis IV
High-mobile students will have significantly higher fear of negative evaluation scores than low-mobile students.  (Sonstroem, 1982) and Landers (1978)

Definition of Terms
Self-Esteem/Self-Concept -"The term self-concept shall be assigned to conceptions of the self involving perceptual organization or structure. The term self-esteem shall be used when an evaluative dimension of the self is either specified or implied" (Sonstroem, 1982, p. 125).

Competitive Trait Anxiety
A "tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension and tension" (Martens, 1977, p. 24 (Spielberger, 1966, p. 17).
State Anxiety (A-State) -An existing emotional state characterized by "subjective consciously perceived feelings of apprehension and tension, accompanied by or associated with activation or arousal of the autonomic nervous system" (Spielberger, 1966, p. 17 and some of the more basic personality factors has generated little interest (Kroger, 1980 Positive self-esteem has been long favored by mental health theorists and clinicians as being the essential element for a favorable adjustment to l i fe (Coopersmith, 1967;Gergen, 1971;Horney, 1950;Rosenberg, 1963Rosenberg, , 1979. Rosenberg (1979) (Sonstroem, 1982).
Presented as the Illinois Competition Questionnaire, this inventory contains fifteen statements about how the individual usually feels when competing in sports and games. Only ten of the fifteen items are scored.
Five spurious items are added in order to lower response bias toward the scored items. The response options are "hardly ever", "sometimes", and "often". The SCAT has a range of scores from 10 (low competitive trait anxiety) to 30 (high competitive trait anxiety).     Students who move a great distance once, or several times within a small geographic area may not suffer the effects of geographic mobility.

Fear of Negative Evaluation
An attempt was made to discriminate between non-movers and subjects who were most likely to experience psychological change as a result of a      .02 -mean. The marginals of Table IV-3 indicate that the low-mobile group had higher self-esteem means (X = 32.09) as compared to high-mobile students (X = 28.94). Boys also showed higher self-esteem means (X = 31.60) as compared to girls (X = 29.47).
As stated previously, these effects were tested by means of a two-way analysis of variance.   (i = 29.33). Boys also showed higher self-esteem means (X = 31.70) as compared to girls (X = 29.77). As indicated in Table IV-6 both a significant number of moves effect (F = 11.93, p < .001) and a significant sex effect were obtained (F = 7.74, p < .01). It was concluded that high-mobile students had significantly lower self-esteem scores than 1ow-mobile students when number of moves was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly lower self-esteem than boys.

Hypothesis 11
High-mobile students ·will have significantly lower estimation scores than low-mobile students.   .0001 The number of subjects in each category is included above the category mean. The marginals of Table IV-7 indicate that the low-mobile group had higher physical estimation means (X = 21.86) as compared to high-mobile students (X = 18.18). Boys also showed higher physical estimation means (X = 22.84) as compared to girls (X = 17.25).
As stated previously~ these effects were tested by means of a two-way analysis of variance. when distance moved was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly lower physical estimation than boys. .0001 As indicated in Table IV-10 both a significant number of moves effect (F = 5.65, p < .02) and a significant sex effect were obtained (F = 36.02, p < .0001). It was concluded that high-mobile students had significantly lower physical estimation scores than low-mobile students when number of moves was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly lower physical estimation than boys.

Hypothesis III
High-mobile students will have significantly higher competitive trait anxiety scores than low-mobile students.   Table IV-11 presents means for high and low distance groups by sex.
The number of subjects in each category is included above the category mean. The marginals of Table IV-11 indicate that the low-mobile group had lower competitive trait anxiety means (X = 21.21) as compared to high-mobile students (Y = 22.31). Boys also showed lower competitive trait anxiety means (X = 20.15) as compared to girls (X = 23.36).
As stated previously, these effects were tested by means of a two-way analysis of variance.  .002 Table IV-12 indicates that the distance of moves effect (F= 1.45, p < .23 (n.s.)) was not significant.
It was concluded that high-mobile students did not have significantly higher competitive trait anxiety scores than low-mobile students when distance moved was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly higher competitive trait anxiety than boys.   .0003 It was concluded that high-mobile students did not have significantly higher competitive trait anxiety scores than low-mobile students when number of moves was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly higher competitive trait anxiety than boys.
Hypothesis IV High-mobile students will have significantly higher fear of negative evaluation scores than low-mobile students.  Table IV-15 presents means for high and low distance groups by sex.
The number of subjects in each category is included above the category mean. The marginals of Table IV-15 indicate that the low-mobile group had lower fear of negative evaluation means (X = 14.45) as compared to high-mobile students (X = 16.78). Boys also showed lower fear of negative evaluation means (X = 14.09) as compared to girls (X = 17.10).
These effects were tested by means of a two-way analysis of variance shown in Table IV-16. As indicated in Table IV-16 both a significant distance of moves effect (F = 4.09, p < .OS) and a significant sex effect were obtained (F = 5.16, p < .03).
It was concluded that high-mobile students had significantly greater fear of negative evaluation scores than low-mobile students when distance moved was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly higher fear of negative evaluation than boys.  .004 compared to high-mobile students (X = 16.09). Boys also showed lower fear of negative evaluation means (X = 13.51) as compared to girls (X = 16.93).
Two-way analysis of variance results are presented in Table IV-18. It was concluded that high-mobile students did not have significantly higher fear of negative evaluation scores than low-mobile students when number of moves was used to define mobility. It was concluded also that girls reported significantly higher fear of negative evaluation than boys.

ADDITIONAL ANALYSES
Two additional purposes of this study were to examine relationships between study variables and to identify those psychological variables which best discriminated between high and low mobile groups. Table IV-19 presents a correlation matrix of study dependent variables. These analyses employed self-esteem and estimation as predictors since they were the two significant variables identified in the analysis of variance.