Effect of the Interpersonal Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Style on the Professional Training of Lifeguards

Irene Castañón-Rubio,Pablo Jorge Marcos-Pardo,Francisco Cano Noguera,Juan Antonio Moreno-Murcia

doi:10.3390/su12114364

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the motivational, behavioral, and cognitive effect of autonomy support in rescue and lifesaving classes within the framework of the self-determination theory. The sample consisted of 40 students aged from 19 to 26 years old (M = 20.83; TD = 1.86). Students were randomly divided into the intervention (n = 19) and control (n = 21) groups. The following were measured: the perception of the autonomy-supportive and controlling interpersonal styles, the social support for the basic psychological needs of the professor, the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs, and the aquatic competence in rescue and lifeguarding. After the application of the program, improvements were observed in the intervention group in the variables of perception of autonomy support, social support for autonomy, and competence; satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy and competence; and improvement of the cognitive and behavioral processes of aquatic competence in rescue and lifeguarding. The findings show the effectiveness of the interpersonal teaching style of the autonomy-support program by obtaining more positive results at the motivational, behavioral, and cognitive levels, as opposed to a controlling interpersonal style.

Highlights

Environments and programs that enable the development of teacher autonomy are related to the emergence of motivation and teacher satisfaction
Due to the interest in understanding the effect of an interpersonal style of support for autonomy, where a decision is sought that is adapted to the desired competence, this study proposes to verify the effect of this style of teaching on students who took the rescue and lifeguard course as part of the curriculum of the Higher Technician in Animation of Physical and Sports Activities [11,12] course and their motivational, behavioral, and cognitive levels
The autonomy support scale [32] was used in this study. This scale is composed of 12 items that measure, in a single factor, the support for autonomy perceived by students from their teachers in lifeguarding classes

Summary

Introduction

Environments and programs that enable the development of teacher autonomy are related to the emergence of motivation and teacher satisfaction. The predominance of a controlling environment in the classroom can frustrate it [1], causing maladaptive consequences for students [2] The use of these programs implies increasing the student’s level of autonomy, and their competence and social relations, as well as the development of self-determined behavior [3]. This interpersonal style is named autonomy-supportive [4], and it has been corroborated by numerous research studies [5] in the last decade. Due to the interest in understanding the effect of an interpersonal style of support for autonomy, where a decision is sought that is adapted to the desired competence, this study proposes to verify the effect of this style of teaching on students who took the rescue and lifeguard course as part of the curriculum of the Higher Technician in Animation of Physical and Sports Activities [11,12] course and their motivational, behavioral, and cognitive levels

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion