The influencing factors of individual interest in physical education based on decision tree model: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

To identify the key influencing factors and analyze the internal relationship among the factors of individual interest in PE, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of a large sample of Chinese young students based on the decision tree model. A total of 3,640 young students (Mage = 14.16; 7–18 years; SD = 2.66, 47% boys) were investigated by using six questionnaires, including individual interest in physical PE, self-efficacy, achievement goals, expectancy value in PE, PE knowledge and skills and PE learning environment. Results showed there were a total of seven variables entered into the decision tree model, which was 3 layers high, including 38 nodes. The root node was expectancy value which was divided by sports knowledge and skills and self-efficacy. The third layer included mastery-approach goal, family sports environment, performance-avoidance goal and gender. The results depict that expectancy value of PE was the most important influencing factors of adolescent students’ individual interest in PE in this study, and the other important factors were sports knowledge and skills, self-efficacy, mastery-approach goal, family sports environment, performance-avoidance goal, and gender, respectively. The implications for PE are: (1) Improve the status of the PE curriculum and enhance students’ recognition of the value of PE; (2) Strengthen the teaching of knowledge and skills to avoid low-level repetitive teaching; (3) Enhance success experience and foster sports self-efficacy; and (4) Establish reasonable sports goals to foster individual interest in sports learning.

Predictive factors of students' physical activity in different learning interest phases: A cluster analysis of physical education

“…The questionnaire consisted of 16 randomly arranged items rated on a five‐point Likert scale (1 = very bad to 5 = very good). Lin and Zhu (2022) confirmed the questionnaire's reliability and construct validity, and results indicated that this questionnaire could be used.…”

“…The 12 items were randomly arranged and rated on a five‐point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test‐retest reliability results were 0.89 and 0.88, respectively (Lin & Zhu, 2022).…”

“…This study investigated students' perception of the sports environment using three aspects (Lin & Zhu, 2022): perception of the school sports environment, perception of the family sports environment, and perception of the social sports environment. The questionnaire consisted of 16 randomly arranged items rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = very bad to 5 = very good).…”

“…Roure and Lentillon‐Kaestner (2022) regard knowledge as an important variable and divide students' interest in swimming into four profiles corresponding to the four learning interest phases to examine the relationships among students' individual interest, achievement goals, perceived competence, and situational interest for each profile identified. Sports skills influence individual interest (Lin & Zhu, 2022), while situational interests closely relate to knowledge. Rotgans and Schmidt (2014) construe situational interest as a motivational response to a perceived knowledge deficit, which is triggered in situations in which this knowledge deficit is manifested.…”

“…Scholars have widely explored the differences in physical activity among students of different sexes and ages (Guan et al, 2023; Halliday et al, 2019; Kim et al, 2010). However, interest, an important influencing variable in the study of PE learning and physical activity (Lin & Zhu, 2022), has rarely been used as a categorical variable to compare differences in PE and its formation characteristics among students. Based on the four‐phase model of interest development (Hidi & Renninger, 2006), each interest phase is characterized by varying amounts of affect, knowledge, and value.…”