Motivation in Physical Education Classes: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

This paper presents a brief overview of empirical studies in school physical education (PE) that have employed SDT and, where relevant, proposes ideas for future research in this area. First, we review research on teachers’ interpersonal style and its relation to students’ motivation. Second, we discuss intervention studies aimed at optimizing teachers’ interactions with students. Third, we present an overview of findings suggesting that basic psychological needs and motivational regulations predict various cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes in PE. Finally, we provide practical recommendations for PE teachers drawing from initial intervention studies in PE

The effect of an intervention to improve newly qualified teachers’ interpersonal style, students motivation and psychological need satisfaction in sport-based physical education

Recent developments in self-determination theory research in the educational setting (e.g., Reeve, Deci, & Ryan, 2004), suggest that teachers’ interpersonal style should be considered as consisting of three dimensions: autonomy-support, structure and interpersonal involvement. Based on this theoretical proposition, the purpose of the present study was to test the effects of a training program for three physical education newly qualified teachers on the aforementioned teachers’ overt behaviors and students’ psychological needs satisfaction, self-determined motivation and engagement in sport-based physical education. After a baseline period of four lessons, the teachers attended an informational session on adaptive student motivation and how to support it. The training program also included individualized guidance during the last four lessons of the cycle. Results revealed that from pre- to post-intervention: (1) teachers managed to improve their teaching style in terms of all three dimensions, and (2) students were receptive to these changes, as shown by increases in their reported need satisfaction, self-determined motivation and engagement in the class

Autoregulação motivacional dos professores e percepção da motivação dos alunos na educação física

Orientação: Susana VelosoA presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar a associação entre a percepção dos professores de Educação Física sobre a motivação dos seus alunos e a qualidade da sua própria motivação. A amostra é constituída por 125 professores de Educação Física de ambos os géneros, 60,8% do género masculino, com uma média de 40,23 anos de idade (±10,69), desde estagiários a professores com Mestrado, em serviço em escolas da zona de Lisboa no ano letivo 2013/2014. A recolha de dados foi realizada através de um questionário demográfico, da “Escala de Regulações Motivacionais para o Trabalho” e da “Escala de Locus de Causalidade”. Os principais resultados mostraram que a motivação autónoma dos professores (intrínseca e identificada) está associada positivamente com tipos de motivação autónoma e controlada dos alunos. No entanto, os professores com motivação intrínseca associam-se a todos os tipos de motivação dos alunos, enquanto que os com regulação identificada se associam à motivação autónoma e regulação externa dos alunos. Já os professores com motivação controlada associam-se positivamente com a motivação controlada dos alunos, mas negativamente com a autónoma. Concluiu-se que é necessário intervir para melhorar a motivação autónoma dos professores de EF, e diminuir a sua motivação controlada, uma vez que esta parece influenciar a percepção de uma motivação não desejável nos alunos (i.e. regulações externas e introjetada ou mesmo amotivação). Ou seja, ensinar estratégias motivacionais promotoras de motivação autónoma dos professores e, consequentemente, dos alunos.This research aims to analyze the association between the perception of Physical Education teachers about the motivation of students and the quality of their own motivation. The sample consists of 125 Physical Education teachers of both genders, 60.8% males, with an average age of 40.23 (± 10.69), from trainees to Master degree teachers, serving in school in the area of Lisbon year 2013/2014. Data collection was conducted through a demographic questionnaire, “The Motivation at Work Scale” and “Perceived Locus of Causality Questionnaire”. The main results showed teachers‟ autonomous motivation (intrinsic and identified) is positively associated with types autonomous and students‟ controlled motivation. However, teachers with intrinsic motivation associated with all types of motivation, whereas those with identified regulation are associated with students‟ autonomous motivation and external regulation. Teachers with controlled motivation are associated positively with autonomous motivation‟ studentes, but negatively with controlled. It was concluded that action is needed to improve the autonomous motivation of PE teachers, and reduce its controlled motivation, since this seems to influence the perception of an undesirable motivation in students (e.g. external and introjected regulations or amotivation). That is, teach motivational strategies promoting autonomous motivation of teachers and consequently students

The effects of an experimental programme to support students’ autonomy on the overt behaviours of physical education teachers

Although the benefits of autonomy supportive behaviours are now well established in the literature, very few studies have attempted to train teachers to offer a greater autonomy support to their students. In fact, none of these studies has been carried out in physical education (PE). The purpose of this study is to test the effects of an autonomy-supportive training on overt behaviours of teaching among PE teachers. The experimental group included two PE teachers who were first educated on the benefits of an autonomy supportive style and then followed an individualised guidance programme during the 8 lessons of a teaching cycle. Their behaviours were observed and rated along 3 categories (i.e., autonomy supportive, neutral and controlling) and were subsequently compared to those of three teachers who formed the control condition. The results showed that teachers in the experimental group used more autonomy supportive and neutral behaviours than those in the control group, but no difference emerged in relation to controlling behaviours. We discuss the implications for schools of our findings

Does teacher evaluation based on student performance predict motivation, well-being, and ill-being?

This study tests an explanatory model based on self-determination theory, which posits that pressure experienced by teachers when they are evaluated based on their students' academic performance will differentially predict teacher adaptive and maladaptive motivation, well-being, and ill-being. A total of 360 Spanish physical education teachers completed a multi-scale inventory. We found support for a structural equation model that showed that perceived pressure predicted teacher autonomous motivation negatively, predicted amotivation positively, and was unrelated to controlled motivation. In addition, autonomous motivation predicted vitality positively and exhaustion negatively, whereas controlled motivation and amotivation predicted vitality negatively and exhaustion positively. Amotivation significantly mediated the relation between pressure and vitality and between pressure and exhaustion. The results underline the potential negative impact of pressure felt by teachers due to this type of evaluation on teacher motivation and psychological health

Perceived coach autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and the well- and ill-being of elite youth soccer players: A longitudinal investigation

Objectives: Drawing from the Basic Needs Theory [BNT; Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002). An overview of self-determination theory. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3-33). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press], the major purpose of the present study was to test a hypothesized sequence of temporal relationships between perceptions of coach autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and indices of well- and ill-being. A subsidiary aim was to ascertain the assumed mediational role of basic need satisfaction in explicating the perceived autonomy support and well-/ill-being relationships over time.\ud \ud Method: Participants (N = 54 males) from an elite youth soccer academy in the UK completed a multi-section questionnaire tapping the targeted variables on six occasions across two competitive seasons.\ud \ud Results: Multi-level regression analyses revealed that perceptions of coach autonomy support positively predicted within-person changes and between-person mean differences in basic need satisfaction and well-being over time. \ud \ud Satisfaction scores for the needs for competence and relatedness were found to predict within-person changes in subjective vitality. These same needs partially mediated the coach autonomy support-subjective vitality link over the two seasons.\ud \ud Conclusions: The findings partially support the tenets of BNT, and are discussed in terms of their practical application to participants involved in an elite youth sport setting. \u

Developmental Trajectories of Motivation in Physical Education: Course, Demographic Differences and Antecedents

This study investigated changes in student motivation to participate in physical education and some determinants of these changes over a period of three years. Measures were taken twice a year, from the age of 13 until the age of 15 years, from a sample of Greek junior high school students. Multilevel modeling analyses showed significant decreases in task-involving teacher climate, relatedness, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation. In contrast, there were significant increases in ego-involving climate and amotivation. For some of these variables the observed linear decreases or increases were somewhat reversed by the beginning of the last year of the junior high school. No significant changes were observed in competence need satisfaction and in extrinsic and introjected regulations. We found substantial between-student variability in the intercepts and growth trajectories of most variables and, therefore, we tested a number of theoretical and demographic predictors to partly account for such variations. The results indicated that increases in maladaptive motivation in physical education over time are not uniform across all students and may be partly tackled by facilitating competence need satisfaction. Keywords: Self-determination theory, changes in motivation, Greek students, psychological need satisfaction, motivational regulation

Effects of Teacher Autonomy Support Intervention on Thai Students' Motivation: A Self Determination Theory Perspective

Self Determination Theory (SDT) postulates that Teacher’s Autonomy Support (TAS) promotes learning motivation and academic outcomes, but cross cultural controversies within SDT question the significance of TAS in Asian classrooms. The present research tests the relevance of TAS on Thai students’ motivation in relation to Thai Education reforms. In a quasi-experimental non-equivalent group design, 103 students (56 girls and 47 boys) of Grade-6, from a Thai public school, participated in the present study. The experimental group underwent an autonomy supportive intervention for seven (7) sessions (60 minutes each) in a regular classroom setting by a trained teacher. Data were gathered for the Pretest, posttest1 and posttest2 using an intrinsic motivation inventory by Ryan (1982), a self-regulation questionnaire by Ryan and Connell (1989) and a learning climate questionnaire by Black and Deci (2000) for variables which include interest, effort, pressure, relatedness, perceived autonomy support, identified and external regulation. An analysis using Multivariate Analysis of Variance in the pretest showed no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group on all variables including gender. However, significant mean differences were observed in the following cases: (i) between both groups at the postest1, (ii) between the pretest and postest1 of the experimental group, with the main effects observed for all variables as a result of TAS and (iii) between means of the postest1 and postest2 in the experimental group. However, the main effects were only significant for variables such as effort, relatedness and perceived autonomy support. Thus, the findings have strengthened the SDT belief that autonomy is not a culturally bound value and is equally relevant for Thai students and has implications for Thai education and its policies

The Teacher CARE project: Enhancing motivation, engagement and effort of a-motivated students

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of different relatedness supportive settings on the motivation, engagement and effort of a-motivated students in secondary physical education. 147 a-motivated students from 5 schools were taught in a setting that was either high or low in support for their need of relatedness. Data were collected using a pretest and posttest design to examine a-motivated student\u27s level of motivation, engagement and effort. Repeated measures ANOVA\u27s with follow-up comparisons were utilized to analyze the data. Results indicated that students engaged in the high supportive setting significantly increased their levels of motivation, engagement and effort compared with students in the low support group. Findings from this study provide the first empirical evidence that supporting relatedness can positively influence the affective aspects of students with low motivation

Assessment of the basic psychological needs in physical education according to age, gender and educational stage

The aim of this study was to determine what happens to the basic psychological needs during elementary school, analysing these according to age, gender and educational stage. A total of 743 students from Primary (n = 311) and Secondary (n = 432), 333 children and 410 girls participated; Mage = 12.99, SD = 2.07. Statistically significant differences were found in the age factor in autonomy (p = .043), perceived competence (p <.001) and relation with others (p <.001). Results show a decrease in the AUT COMP and the RELAT in the passage from primary to secondary, as these variables are higher in boys than in girls. Based on these results, a reflection on the teaching practice and methodology used in these stages of PE should be made, because children have different needs and perceptions of being competent, of being autonomous and of relating to the in PE classes. Therefore, we must consider the approach of activities that do not promote excess competition, providing activities with different difficulties and different opportunities to choose the activities to be carried out, aimed at the development of these three basic psychological needs of students so that the perception of autonomy, competence and relationship, are increasedS