A Randomized Controlled Trial to Test the Feasibility of the Trans-Contextual Model in Physical Activity

Abstract

One of the key questions in human behavior is how social environment facilitates individuals’ behavior change. Trans-contextual model (TCM) is an integration of social psychological theories; self-determination theory (SDTD), hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (HMIEM), and theory of planned behavior (TPB), and it is designed to determine the role of social agents on motivation and intended behavior. Specifically, TCM is a multitheory approach to understanding the processes by which forms of motivation toward educational activities in a classroom context lead to motivation toward similar activities and behaviors in out-of-school contexts. PURPOSE: The present study was a randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility of the TCM on predicting physical education (PE) students’ autonomous motivation and its transfer to intended physical activity (PA) participation. METHODS: A three-wave data comprising six schools (3 experiment and 3 delayed treatment schools) and 408 (nexperimental = 198; ncontrol = 210) school students (Mage = 12.29). Participants were recruited based on their affiliation in a local school district, and the data were collected in a middle school setting in the mid-south United States during a seven week period. Primary outcomes of this parallel group study were student autonomous motivation in PE and exercise, PA intention, and PA. RESULTS: Firstly, the results showed that the intervention had a positive effect on students’ autonomous PE motivation via their perception of autonomy (β = .29, p < .01) explaining 51% in the changes in the students’ autonomous PE motivation (SDT premise). Secondly, autonomous motivation in PE was shown to predict autonomous motivation in exercise (β = .63, p < .01; R2 = .44). (HMIEM premise). Finally, autonomous motivation in exercise predicted PA through PA intention (TPB premise) explaining 35% of the changes in the variance of PA. In addition, a moderate indirect effect from autonomous exercise motivation via PA intention to PA emerged (β = .17, p < .01, CI 95% [.11, .22]). CONCLUSIONS: This study corroborated the central tenets of the TCM, and supported its feasibility on real life PE context. Future studies are needed to examine the long lasting effects of autonomy support on PA.