Abstract
This study examined the relationship between the perceived motivational climate in physical education (PE) classes and the stage of exercise behavior change among 322 high school students in northeastern China. Furthermore, the chain-mediating effects of autonomous motivation in PE and the five types of motivation (interest, competence, social relatedness, appearance, and health) in leisure-time physical activity (PA) were examined. Results showed that autonomous motivation in PE and the five types of motivation in leisure-time PA had chain-mediating effects on the relationships between the perceived mastery- and performance-oriented motivational climate and the stage of exercise behavior change in the whole sample (controlling for gender). Specifically, a perceived mastery-oriented motivational climate promoted autonomous motivation in PE, which, in turn, increased the five types of motivation in leisure-time PA and led to a higher stage of exercise behavior change. Conversely, a perceived performance-oriented motivational climate reduced autonomous motivation in PE which, in turn, decreased the five types of motivation in leisure-time PA and led to earlier stages of exercise behavior change. The patterns of the chain-mediating effects of autonomous motivation in PE and the five types of motivation in leisure-time PA were somewhat similar in girls and boys. The results suggested that PE teachers should create mastery-oriented climates and avoid performance-oriented motivational climates, which may promote intrinsic or identified motivations of students for PA within and beyond PE classes, thereby affecting the leisure-time PA of students.
Highlights
Physical activity can accelerate the physical development of adolescents (Smith et al, 2008; Guan and Zhu, 2013a,b) and cultivate character strengths such as mental toughness (Jones and Parker, 2013), confidence, and compassion (Linver et al, 2009)
Previous studies explored the underlying mechanisms by which perceived motivational climates in physical education (PE) influence leisuretime physical activity, this study contributes to the existing research by examining whether perceived motivational climates in PE could translate into the stage of exercise behavior change of students through the chain-mediating effects of autonomous motivation in PE and the five types of motivation in leisure-time PA
Supporting the postulation of the achievement goal theory (AGT) (Duda and Balaguer, 2007), this study found that, compared with a perceived performance-oriented motivational climate, a perceived mastery-oriented motivational climate could result in positive consequences; that is, autonomous motivation in PE, motivations in leisure-time PA, and actual leisure-time PA behavior
Summary
Physical activity can accelerate the physical development of adolescents (Smith et al, 2008; Guan and Zhu, 2013a,b) and cultivate character strengths such as mental toughness (Jones and Parker, 2013), confidence, and compassion (Linver et al, 2009). ∼84.3% of adolescents (aged 11–17 years) in China did not meet the recommended PA levels [≥60 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (PA) daily; Guthold et al, 2020] This suggests the need for effective ways to encourage Chinese adolescents to engage in PA regularly (Pitkethly et al, 2019). Consistent with the AGT, previous studies found that a perceived mastery-oriented motivational climate positively predicted many leisure-time PA indicators, such as the number of days within a week that participants engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA for at least 60 min (Jaakkola et al, 2017), the frequency of vigorous PA (Theodosiou and Papaioannou, 2006) and low-intensity PA (Grastén, 2016), and whether or not participants engaged in PA at all (Ommundsen and Kvalø, 2007). A perceived performance-oriented motivational climate has been found to have no significant effect on the time that adolescents participate in leisure-time PA (Ommundsen and Kvalø, 2007; Jaakkola et al, 2017)
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