The Influence of State Motivation, Content Relevance and Affective Learning on High School Students’ Intentions to Use Class Content Following Completion of Compulsory Physical Education

Abstract

Little research has examined mechanisms leading to the utilization of compulsory physical education content in future contexts. This study tested a model in which motivation to be in physical education class functions as a predisposition influencing perceptions of teacher communication of content relevance, perceptions of course relevance to one’s personal life, affect for physical education and intentions to apply class content in the future. High school students (N = 636) enrolled in compulsory physical education classes completed questionnaires assessing each of these variables. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated the questionnaire items were adequate indicators of the five constructs. Structural equation modeling with diagonally weighted least squares estimation supported the hypothesized model. The results suggest that continued use of knowledge and skills learned in physical education might hinge on teachers making physical education appealing to students and communicating how class content connects with students’ personal interests.

Affective Learning Profiles in Compulsory High School Physical Education: An Instructional Communication Perspective

“…Studies unequivocally show that teacher communication variables are strongly associated with students' affective learning (Chesebro & Wanzer, 2006). While only one study in K-12 PE has drawn on the work of instructional communication researchers to examine affective learning (Webster, et al, 2011), the results were consistent with instructional communication studies in supporting the relationship between students' perceptions of teacher communication and affective learning, thus highlighting the importance of PE research examining theoretical constructs beyond those situated within more commonly used motivation theories.…”

“…Subgroups of students sharing unique combinations of responses in terms of state motivation, content relevance, and affective learning might exist. For instance, despite the general trend for students who perceived more teacher communication of content relevance to also feel the course was more personally meaningful (Webster, et al, 2011), it is possible that some students who perceived their teachers to frequently use content relevance messages still did not feel the course was personally meaningful. Research aimed at classifying subgroups of affective learners would ultimately help teachers use more differentiated instruction in class, based on students' affective learning profiles.…”

“…The study by Webster et al (2011) suggests that communicating content relevance during instruction should be an area of focus for PE teachers concerned with cultivating affective learning in the context of compulsory high school PE. Yet, although the research literature offers some guidance for how K-12 PE teachers might communicate content relevance (Webster, Gonzalez, & Harvey, 2012), efforts to translate research into practice will not reach their potential without first understanding students' varied affective learning needs.…”

“…Drawing from Mottet et al's (2008) study and several proposed theories related to affective learning in the instructional communication literature (Allen, Witt, & Wheeless, 2006;Christophel, 1990;Frymier, 1994;Kelly & Gorham, 1988;Richmond, 1990;Rodriguez, Plax, & Kearney, 1996), Webster et al (2011) tested a theoretical model in which content relevance was viewed as a central mediator of affective learning among high school students' enrolled in their final required PE course. The results of structural equation modeling supported the proposed relationships.…”

“…The intent of the current study was to reanalyze data from the Webster et al (2011) study, in which a variable-centered approach was used to examine a theoretical model explicating determinants of affective learning in compulsory high school PE from an instructional communication perspective, including students' state motivation and content relevance. Using this same theoretical frame, the current study adopted a person-centered approach to examine distinct affective learning-based student profiles.…”