Highlights Intrinsic motivation toward physical education was the only significant motivational predictor of adolescents’ objectively measured daily physical activity. Perceived autonomy support from the physical education teacher was indirectly related to objectively measured physical activity. Psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation in physical education mediated the effect of perceived autonomy support on objectively measured physical activity.

The facilitative role of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers on adolescents’ leisure-time physical activity (PA) has been supported. This study aimed to examine the mechanism by which perceived controlling behaviors from PE teachers relate to adolescents’ objectively measured leisure-time PA. In a three-wave prospective study, a total of 159 students (64 boys) aged 11 to 19 years old (Mage = 14.94 years; SD = 2.11) completed measures of perceived controlling behavior, frustration of the basic psychological needs, and motivational regulations in PE. One week later, motivational regulations towards leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were assessed. Five weeks later, MVPA was measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X) during seven consecutive days. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that perceived controlling behavior predicted students’ frustration of basic psychological needs in PE. The competence need frustration in PE had a negative direct effect on objectively measured MVPA. A significant indirect effect supported the mediating role of competence frustration in PE in the relation between perceived controlling behavior from PE teachers and MVPA in adolescents. Findings suggest that future interventions striving to promote adolescents’ PA engagement in their leisure-time should focus on decreasing controlling behaviors from teachers in PE that may manipulate the teacher–student relation.

Objective: This study tested effects of changes in the psychological constructs of the transcontextual model (TCM) on changes in adolescents' outside of school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) measured using self-report and accelerometer-based device.Design: A three-wave longitudinal design was used. High school students (N=331) completed measures of all the TCM constructs at Time1 and at Time2, five weeks apart. Self-reported PA behaviour was measured also at Time3, five weeks after Time2. PA was measured using accelerometer-based devices for seven days following Time1 and Time3 for a census week. Results: A structural equation model using residual change scores revealed that perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers positively predicted autonomous motivation in PE. Autonomous motivation in PE positively predicted autonomous motivation in leisure time. Leisure-time autonomous motivation was positively and indirectly related to intention, mediated by attitude and perceived behavioural control. Intention positively predicted self-reported PA, and mediated the effect of autonomous motivation on self-reported PA. There were no effects on outside of school PA measured by accelerometer-based device. Conclusions: Results provide qualified support for the TCM in the prediction of change in adolescents' leisure-time autonomous motivation, intention, and self-reported PA, but not change in PA measured by accelerometer-based device.

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.

This study aimed to estimate parameters of the model in which perseverance of effort and consistency of interest of grit scale are related directly to objectively measured physical activity (PA) and indirectly via PA intention in school students (N = 209) aged 12 to 14 years. The Grit Scale was used to estimate the consistency of interests and perseverance of efforts. The measure for intention consisted of two items from the Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire. Actigraph was used to measure moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during seven consecutive days. A well-fitting structural equation model (χ2 = 46.169, df = 31; CFI = .958; RMSEA = .053) demonstrated the significant direct effect (β = .286, p< .001) from perseverance of efforts on intention to be physical active. Physical activity intention mediated the effect of the perseverance of efforts on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but not the effect of consistency of interest. The total effect from the consistency of interest on MVPA was significant, but the perseverance of efforts was not. The dimension of the perseverance of efforts between groups with high and low MVPA was not statistically significantly different, whereas the intention was significantly higher in the high-MVPA group. The consistency of the interest dimension in the high MVPA group was significantly higher than in low group only at p < .1 level. The findings of the study may be used by physical education teachers for the promotion of physical activity, highlighting the role of consistency of interest on MVPA. KEY WORDS grit, intention, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, school students ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PAPER