Detrimental Effect of Perceived Controlling Behavior from Physical Education Teachers on Students' Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intentions and Behavior: An Application of the Trans-Contextual Model.

Andre Koka,Henri Tilga,Lennart Raudsepp,Hanna Kalajas-Tilga,Vello Hein

doi:10.3390/ijerph17165939

Abstract

In the present study, a trans-contextual model was applied to examine the relations between students’ perceptions of controlling behavior from teachers, frustration over their basic psychological needs, autonomous motivation toward physical activity in a physical education context, autonomous motivation toward physical activity in an out-of-school context, beliefs and intentions toward future physical activity, and actual participation in physical activity outside of school. We adopted a three-wave prospective study design in which 234 students aged 11–19 years first completed measures of perceived controlling behavior from teachers, frustration over their basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation toward physical activity in physical education. One week later, their autonomous motivation, beliefs, and intentions toward physical activity outside of school were measured. Students’ self-reported engagement in physical activity outside of school was assessed another five weeks later. Results of the path analysis revealed a significant and negative indirect effect of perceived controlling behavior from physical education teachers on students’ intention toward physical activity outside of school via the proposed motivational sequence of the trans-contextual model. There was also a significant and negative indirect effect of perceived controlling behavior from physical education teachers on students’ self-reported engagement in physical activity outside of school, mediated by the frustration over their need for competence in physical education. Findings emphasize the importance of decreasing controlling behaviors from teachers in a physical education context so as not to inhibit students’ physical activity behavior in an out-of-school context.

Highlights

School physical education (PE) has been acknowledged as a beneficial educational context in which lifelong physical activity habits in young people can be promoted [1]
The current study aimed to evaluate an application of the trans-contextual model to explain the processes by which perceived controlling behavior from PE teachers is linked to students’ motivation toward physical activity in PE and outside of school, as well as the beliefs about, intention toward, and actual participation in physical activity outside of school
Results of the present study showed that the controlling behavior from the teachers as perceived by the students in PE classes had a detrimental effect on the students’ intention toward physical activity behavior outside of school, because it led to higher levels of student perceptions of frustration over the need for autonomy in PE and, in turn, lower levels of autonomous motivation for both in- and out-of-school physical activity, as well as belief-based constructs from the theory of planned behavior, such as attitude and perceived behavioral control

Summary

Introduction

School physical education (PE) has been acknowledged as a beneficial educational context in which lifelong physical activity habits in young people can be promoted [1]. A vast number of studies have demonstrated that adopting the actions and behaviors by PE teachers that are autonomy supportive may facilitate students’ motivation toward school physical activity, but importantly, they may promote students’ motivation toward physical activity outside of school [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Despite these promising results, according to Sallis et al [11], about 80% of young people worldwide do not meet the suggested. Public Health 2020, 17, 5939; doi:10.3390/ijerph17165939 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Results

Discussion

Conclusion