Perceived Controlling Behaviors of Physical Education Teachers and Objectively Measured Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Adolescents

Abstract

The facilitative role of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers on adolescents’ leisure-time physical activity (PA) has been supported. This study aimed to examine the mechanism by which perceived controlling behaviors from PE teachers relate to adolescents’ objectively measured leisure-time PA. In a three-wave prospective study, a total of 159 students (64 boys) aged 11 to 19 years old (Mage = 14.94 years; SD = 2.11) completed measures of perceived controlling behavior, frustration of the basic psychological needs, and motivational regulations in PE. One week later, motivational regulations towards leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were assessed. Five weeks later, MVPA was measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X) during seven consecutive days. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that perceived controlling behavior predicted students’ frustration of basic psychological needs in PE. The competence need frustration in PE had a negative direct effect on objectively measured MVPA. A significant indirect effect supported the mediating role of competence frustration in PE in the relation between perceived controlling behavior from PE teachers and MVPA in adolescents. Findings suggest that future interventions striving to promote adolescents’ PA engagement in their leisure-time should focus on decreasing controlling behaviors from teachers in PE that may manipulate the teacher–student relation.

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

“…Each subscale comprised five items with responses provided on seven-point scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Previous research has supported the reliability and factor structure of the current measure (Tilga et al, 2019).…”

“…Available in: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3EMAV 4 behaviour from PE teachers is related via thwarting of psychological needs and external regulation to adolescents' objective MVPA (Koka et al, 2019). However, the amount of the variance in objective PA explained by motivational correlates in these studies was relatively low, ranging between 6% (Kalajas- Tilga et al, 2019) and 14% (Koka et al, 2019), suggesting that other possible factors determining PA have not been measured. Previous research has suggested that it might be perceived effort that is associated with students' motivational regulations and physical activity (e.g., Hagger et al, 2005;Ntoumanis, 2001;Standage et al, 2003).…”

“…Based on SDT (Ryan & Deci, 2017), the antecedents of autonomous and controlled motivation are perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviour, respectively. Previous research has found that perceived autonomy-supportive behaviour from PE teachers is related via satisfaction of psychological needs and intrinsic motivation to adolescents' daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; Kalajas- Tilga et al, 2019). On the contrary, research has demonstrated that perceived controlling This is a pre-print version of a paper currently under revision.…”

“…Another intriguing possibility is that autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviours might relate to adolescents' MVPA via separate pathways. This premise is based on previous findings indicating that autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviours relate to adolescents' health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Tilga et al, 2019), as well as to students' autonomous and controlled forms of motivation (Haerens et al, 2015) via separate pathways (i.e., via need satisfaction and need frustration, respectively). The current study adds to the existent literature by investigating the specific role of autonomous and controlled forms of motivation in PE on adolescents' LT PA participation though the perceived effort towards LT PA.…”

La influencia del profesor de Educación Física en la motivación hacia la práctica de ejercicio físico y promoción de hábitos de vida saludables y dieta mediterránea durante la adolescencia

“…Los profesores manifiestan un comportamiento de control cuando ignoran las perspectivas de los estudiantes, comportándose de manera autoritaria e imponiendo una forma específica y preconcebida de pensar, sentir y comportarse. Este estilo de enseñanza, presiona a los estudiantes a adherirse a los valores del profesor y por tanto, pueden usarse para imponer disciplina y asegurar el cumplimiento del estudiante (Bartholomew et al, 2018;Haerens et al, 2015;Koka et al, 2019).…”