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Perceived autonomy support, behavioural regulations in physical education and physical activity intentions
Author
Lim, Coral Boon San
Supervisor
Wang, John Chee Keng
Abstract
Physical education (PE) is widely recognised as an important tool in enhancing public health through creating positive experiences with physical activities for students. However, the ability to achieve this depends upon the students’ levels of motivation to participate in PE. A theoretical model was proposed in this study to examine the relationships between perceived autonomy support from PE teachers, the students’ behavioural regulations and their intentions to be physically active outside of school. Participants were 701 students aged between 13 and 17 years, recruited from 4 coeducational secondary schools. Questionnaires were used to assess perceived autonomy support, amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, intrinsic motivation and intentions to be physically active outside school.
Structural equation modeling using EQS 6.1 revealed a good fit of the hypothesised model to the data (S-Bχ2 = 567.77, p < .01; S-Bχ2/d.f. = 2.06; NNFI = .95, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .04). The model was also tested for invariance across gender and results indicated that the model is largely invariant across gender (S-Bχ2 = 851.32, p < .01; SBχ2/d.f. = 1.55; NNFI = .94, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .04). The findings highlight the importance of perceived autonomy support in fostering more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations in PE. These forms of behavioural regulations in turn, enhanced more autonomous forms of intentions, which are better predictors of actual behaviour.
Practical implications of the findings were also discussed, with suggestions on how physical educators, by adopting appropriate motivational strategies, can begin to deal with the decrease in interest and participation levels of students. The results also yielded an interesting finding that amotivation positively predicted students’ intention to be physically active outside school. This finding highlighted the relevance and authenticity of the current curriculum in meeting the needs of the students, and the influence of significant others on the students. As this is the only study that has found a positive prediction of intention by amotivation, further studies are recommended to re-examine and confirm this.
Structural equation modeling using EQS 6.1 revealed a good fit of the hypothesised model to the data (S-Bχ2 = 567.77, p < .01; S-Bχ2/d.f. = 2.06; NNFI = .95, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .04). The model was also tested for invariance across gender and results indicated that the model is largely invariant across gender (S-Bχ2 = 851.32, p < .01; SBχ2/d.f. = 1.55; NNFI = .94, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .04). The findings highlight the importance of perceived autonomy support in fostering more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations in PE. These forms of behavioural regulations in turn, enhanced more autonomous forms of intentions, which are better predictors of actual behaviour.
Practical implications of the findings were also discussed, with suggestions on how physical educators, by adopting appropriate motivational strategies, can begin to deal with the decrease in interest and participation levels of students. The results also yielded an interesting finding that amotivation positively predicted students’ intention to be physically active outside school. This finding highlighted the relevance and authenticity of the current curriculum in meeting the needs of the students, and the influence of significant others on the students. As this is the only study that has found a positive prediction of intention by amotivation, further studies are recommended to re-examine and confirm this.
Date Issued
2008
Call Number
GV365.5.S55 Lim
Date Submitted
2008