How perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviour in physical education relates to adolescents’ leisure-time physical activity participation?

Abstract

In line with the tenets of self-determination theory, the current study tested associations of perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviour from PE teacher with adolescents’ leisure-time physical activity (LT PA) participation, and the role of need satisfaction and need frustration, autonomous motivation and controlled motivation in PE, and perceived effort towards LT PA as mediators of these associations. Adolescents (N = 381) aged between 12 and 15 years completed self-reported measures of respective constructs. Results of the structural equation modelling demonstrated that perceived autonomy-supportive behaviour from PE teachers was related to adolescents’ LT PA participation only via experiences of need satisfaction and autonomous motivation in PE, and perceived effort towards LT PA. Perceived controlling behaviour from PE teachers was found to be related to adolescents’ LT PA participation only via experiences of need frustration and controlled motivation in PE, and perceived effort towards LT PA. The current study provided evidence that perceived autonomy-supportive behaviour and perceived controlling behaviour from PE teachers contributes to adolescents’ LT PA participation through unique pathways. Findings highlight the facilitative role of autonomy-supportive behaviour from teachers in a PE context on adolescents’ LT PA participation. In addition, the beneficial role of controlled motivation in PE, although instigated by students’ perceptions of controlling behaviour from teachers and experiences of need frustration in PE, on adolescents’ LT PA participation was supported.

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of a Scale to Measure Perceived External and Internal Faces of Controlling Teaching among Students in Physical Education

“…Consistent with the SDT’s tenets and prior research conducted in PE [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 17 , 20 , 21 ], the results from SEM provided predictive validity evidence for the CTS-PE. Controlling teaching behaviours, regardless of its external or internal nature, were positively associated with BPN frustration and negatively with BPN satisfaction.…”

“…Finally, structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to give predictive validity evidence. In line with SDT assumptions [ 10 ] and following previous studies [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 17 , 20 , 21 ], we hypothesised that both externally and internally controlling teaching would positively and significantly predict BPN frustration and would negatively and significantly predict BPN satisfaction.…”

“…The relationships between externally and internally controlling teaching and BPN satisfaction and frustration were tested to endorse predictive validity evidence. To this end, the error terms corresponding to BPN satisfaction and frustration were correlated following previous research [ 17 , 21 ], and gender was introduced as a covariate [ 12 , 23 ]. This analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood estimation method in conjunction with the bootstrapping approach with 5000 iterations given the absence of multivariate normality (Mardia’s coefficient = 67.26, p < 0.01) [ 37 ].…”

“…Finally, students might not have positive relationships with their peers (relatedness need satisfaction) or they may feel excluded from the group (relatedness need frustration), when their PE teacher ignore their students’ opinions and pressure them to do better than others. Previous studies in the PE context, operationalising controlling teaching behaviour in global terms, have well-documented a negative association of teachers’ controlling teaching behaviours with students’ BPN satisfaction, as well as a positive relationship between this type of teaching behaviours and students’ BPN frustration [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], suggesting the influence of gender on motivational experiences in PE lessons [ 12 , 23 ]. The only existing study that examined internally and externally controlling teaching behaviours from PE teachers showed that although both faces of controlling behaviours related negatively to students’ autonomous and positively to controlled motivation and amotivation, internally controlling were likely to report poor-quality motivation [ 7 ].…”

Academic motivation in adolescents: the role of parental autonomy support, psychological needs satisfaction and self-control

“…Notably, in countries like China, where the one-child policy is implemented, adolescents reportedly face unsatisfied psychological needs due to limited opportunities for interaction with siblings and peers during leisure time (Qiang-hui, 2011). Given the positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and competence (Kalajas-Tilga et al, 2020), it is expected that these adolescents will exhibit diminished motivation levels.…”