Colin M. Wierts

Assistant Professor

Bachelor's Degree: BSc, Health Sciences, Brock University, 2015

Master's Degree: MSc, Kinesiology, Brock University, 2017

PhD: PhD, Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, 2023

Office: 2217 HPL Field House

Biography

Dr. Colin Wierts is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology. Dr. Wierts completed his BSc in Health Sciences and MSc in Kinesiology at Brock University (St. Catharines, ON, Canada) under the supervision of Dr. Philip Wilson. He then completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC, Canada) under the supervision of Dr. Mark Beauchamp, where his dissertation focused on examining psychological need satisfaction and identity (self and social identity) in relation to exercise behavior and well-being. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC, Canada) under Dr. Ryan Rhodes, where his research focused on physical activity identity, the physical activity intention-behavior gap, and the utility of virtual reality (VR) exercise for promoting positive mental health, well-being, and motivation for physical activity behavior.

Broadly speaking, Dr. Wierts’ research focuses on applying various psychological and behavioral theories to understand why people engage in physical activity and exercise behavior. By understanding motivation for physical activity behavior, Dr. Wierts aims to develop scalable physical activity interventions, that leverage technology (smart phone applications, VR, online programming) when possible, to effectively promote behavior and well-being. In addition, Dr. Wierts is interested in various quantitative methodological issues, such as the measurement of psychological constructs in physical activity settings, and completed a sub-specialization in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology while completing his PhD at the University of British Columbia.

Select Publications

Wierts, C. M., Rhodes, R. E., Faulkner, G., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2024). An online delivered running and walking group program to support low-active post-secondary students’ well-being and exercise behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-024-00516-z

Wierts, C. M., Faulkner, G., Rhodes, R. E., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2024). Psychological needs and exercise behaviour: A comparison of two psychological needs models. Psychology & Health, 39(9), 1284-1302. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2022.2141484

Wierts, C. M., Beauchamp, M. R., Priebe, C. S., Zumbo, B. D., Rhodes, R. E., & Faulkner, G. (2023). Predictors of changes in running and smoking identity among individuals in the Run to Quit smoking cessation program. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 67(102431). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102431

Reis, N. A., Waldhauser, K.J., Hives, B.A., Hulteen, R. M., Ruissen, G. R., Wierts, C. M., Puterman, E., Liu, Y., Rhodes, R. E., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2023). Effects of older adults’ social identification on psychological flourishing and exercise program adherence. Psychology & Health, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2023.2215804

Hulteen, R. M., Lubans, D. R., Rhodes, R. E., Faulkner, G., Liu, Y., Naylor, P.-J., Nathan, N., Waldhauser, K. J., Wierts, C. M., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2023). Evaluation of the peer leadership for physical literacy intervention: A cluster randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 18(2), e0280261. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280261

Wierts, C. M., Zumbo, B. D., Rhodes, R. E., Faulkner, G., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2021). An examination of Dweck’s psychological needs model in relation to exercise-related well-being. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 43(4), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2021-0026.

Beauchamp, M. R., Hulteen, R. M., Ruissen, G. R., Liu, Y., Rhodes, R. E., Wierts, C. M., Waldhauser, K. J., Harden, S. H., & Puterman, E. (2021). Online-delivered group and personal exercise programs to support low active older adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(7), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2196/30709.

Wilson, P. M., Kelly, C., Mack, D. E., & Wierts, C. M. (2019). Physical activity counseling in kinesiology curricula: What is offered in Ontario? International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science, 7(4), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.7n.4p.22

Wierts, C. M., Wilson, P. M., & Mack, D. E. (2019). Awareness and use of motivational interviewing reported by Canadian university sport coaches. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 17(1), 63–71.

Mack, D. E., Gunnell, K. E., Wilson, P. M., & Wierts, C. M. (2017). Well-being in group-based exercise classes: Do psychological need fulfillment and interpersonal supports matter? Applied Research in Quality of Life, 12(1), 89–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-016-9454-y

Book Chapters

Beauchamp, M. R., Wierts, C. M., & Jackson, B. (2024). Efficacy beliefs within relational and group contexts in sport. In L. Davis, S. Jowett, & R. Keegan (Eds.), Social Psychology in Sport (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics.

Beauchamp, M. R., McEwan, D., & Wierts, C. M. (2020). Psychology of group dynamics. In G. Tenenbaum & R. C. Eklund (Eds.), Handbook of Sport Psychology (4th ed., pp. 323–343). Wiley.

Select Presentations

Wierts, C. M., Rhodes, R. E., Faulkner, G., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2023). An online delivered running and walking group program to support low active students’ well-being and exercise behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot randomized controlled trial. The International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, Vancouver, BC, CA.

Wierts, C. M., Paziraei, S., Rhodes, R. E. (2023). Change in exercise identity among new exercisers: An application of the physical activity self-definition model. The International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, Vancouver, BC, CA.

Wierts, C. M., Faulkner, G., Rhodes, R. E., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2022). Psychological needs and moderate-to-vigorous exercise behavior: The predictive utility of Dweck's psychological needs model. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Wierts, C. M., Beauchamp, M. R., Rhodes, R. E., Zumbo, B. D., Priebe, C. S., & Faulkner, G. (2022). Becoming a ‘runner’: Examining predictors of change in running identity among Run to Quit members. North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, Waikoloa, HI, USA.

Wierts, C. M., Kroc, E. Beauchamp, M. R. (2020). Examining optimal predictability as a candidate basic psychological need in the context of exercise. North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity. Vancouver, BC. Presented virtually online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq-oJbCmWvU&t=232s

Select Grants

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Sport Participation Research Initiative – Doctoral Supplement
January 2020 – December 2021
Value: CAD $10,000
Project: An online delivered running and walking group program to support low-active post-secondary students’ well-being and exercise behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Awards

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Doctoral Scholarship
September 2019 – August 2022
Value: CAD $105,000

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (JSEP) Excellence in Research Award: Paper recognized as the most outstanding article in JSEP’s annual volume (see Wierts et al., 2021 in JSEP above)
Value: USD $750 For Conference Attendance

Links

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