The tripartite efficacy framework in high school physical education: Trans-contextual generality and direct and indirect prospective relations with leisure-time exercise.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which adolescents’ beliefs in their physical education (PE) teacher’s capabilities (i.e., other-efficacy), and their estimation of their teacher’s confidence in their ability (i.e., relation-inferred selfefficacy, RISE), predicted leisure-time exercise engagement, as well as the extent to which within-class and leisure-time self-efficacy beliefs mediated those relationships. At Time 1, we assessed high school students’ (N 640, Mage 13.15, SD 0.80) confidence in their own PE ability (i.e., self-efficacy), along with their other-efficacy and RISE appraisals. Two weeks later, students reported their confidence in their ability to regulate their leisure-time exercise, and then during the following three weeks, they maintained an exercise log in which they recorded their leisure-time exercise behavior. Structural equation modeling revealed that other-efficacy and RISE positively predicted students’ confidence in their own PE ability. Students’ PE self-efficacy predicted their self-efficacy for regulating their leisure-time exercise, which in turn predicted average weekly exercise participation. As well as highlighting indirect pathways through which students’ tripartite perceptions supported leisure-time exercise, direct effects were also found for self- and other-efficacy in relation to exercise levels, even when controlling for the effect of baseline exercise levels. These findings emphasize the potential significance of the tripartite framework in terms of understanding adolescent exercise behavior.