scholarly journals Predicting Change in Middle School Students’ Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation: A Prospective Test of the Trans-Contextual Model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juho Polet ◽  
Taru Lintunen ◽  
Jekaterina Schneider ◽  
Martin S Hagger

We applied the trans-contextual model (TCM) to examine effects of middle school students’ perceived autonomy support from their physical education (PE) teachers on autonomous motivation toward PE in school and, critically, autonomous motivation toward, and actual participation in, leisure-time physical activity (PA). The research adopted a three-wave prospective design enabling the modeling of change in the TCM constructs over time. Middle school students (N=248) aged 12 to 16 years reported their perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE, autonomous motivation toward leisure-time PA, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), intentions for PA in leisure-time, and leisure-time PA participation. The psychological constructs and leisure-time PA were measured at baseline (T0) and at a first follow-up occasion (T1) 5 weeks later. Another measure of PA was taken at a second follow-up occasion (T2) a further 5 weeks later. A single-indicator structural equation model using residualized change scores revealed that perceived autonomy support predicted autonomous motivation in PE (β=.345), and autonomous motivation in PE predicted autonomous motivation for leisure-time PA (β=.484). Autonomous motivation towards leisure-time PA predicted attitudes (β=.425), subjective norms (β=.264), and PBC (β=.517). Autonomous motivation towards leisure-time PA (β=.376), attitude (β=.231), and subjective norms (β=.185) predicted intentions toward leisure-time PA, and intentions predicted PA (β=.198). Findings extend research on the TCM by demonstrating its efficacy in predicting change in middle school students’ autonomous motivation across PE and leisure time contexts, and accounting for change in intentions toward, and actual participation in, leisure-time PA.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jekaterina Schneider ◽  
Juho Polet ◽  
Mary Hassandra ◽  
Taru Lintunen ◽  
Arto Laukkanen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Inadequate physical activity in young people is associated with several physical and mental health concerns. Physical education (PE) is a potentially viable existing network for promoting physical activity in this population. However, little research has been conducted on whether PE teachers can influence students’ engagement in leisure-time physical activity. The present study therefore examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing PE teachers’ autonomy support on students’ leisure-time physical activity (the PETALS trial). The intervention was guided by the trans-contextual model (TCM) explaining the processes by which PE teachers’ provision of autonomy support during PE promotes students’ motivation and engagement in physical activity in their leisure time. Methods The study adopted a cluster-randomized, waitlist control intervention design with randomization by school. Participants were PE teachers (N = 29, 44.83%female; M age = 42.83, SD = 9.53yrs) and their lower secondary school students (N = 502, 43.82%female; M age = 14.52, SD = 0.71yrs). We measured TCM constructs, including perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure time, beliefs and intentions towards leisure-time physical activity, and physical activity behavior at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-, three-, and six-months. Study hypotheses were tested through a series of ANOVAs and structural equation models using post-intervention and one-month follow-up data. Results We found no changes in TCM constructs or physical activity behavior in either group at post-intervention or at one month. Path analyses supported two propositions of the TCM as change variables: perceived autonomy support had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and autonomous motivation in PE had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in leisure time. Although we found a direct effect of autonomous motivation in leisure time on physical activity, we did not find support for the third premise of the TCM that autonomous motivation in leisure time indirectly affects physical activity through beliefs and intentions. Conclusions Current findings did not support the efficacy of the PETALS intervention at changing physical activity behavior and TCM constructs. More research is required to determine whether the TCM predictive validity is supported when other model variables are manipulated through experimental and intervention studies. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN39374060. Registered 19 July 2018, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN39374060


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jekaterina Schneider ◽  
Juho Polet ◽  
Mary Hassandra ◽  
Taru Lintunen ◽  
Arto Laukkanen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Inadequate physical activity in young people is associated with several physical and mental health concerns. Physical education (PE) is a potentially viable existing network for promoting physical activity in this population. However, little research has been conducted on whether PE teachers can influence students’ engagement in leisure-time physical activity. The present study therefore examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing PE teachers’ autonomy support on students’ leisure-time physical activity (the PETALS trial). The intervention was guided by the trans-contextual model (TCM) explaining the processes by which PE teachers’ provision of autonomy support during PE promotes students’ motivation and engagement in physical activity in their leisure time. Methods The study adopted a cluster-randomized, waitlist control intervention design with randomization by school. Participants were PE teachers (N = 29, 44.83%female; M age = 42.83, SD = 9.53 yrs) and their lower secondary school students (N = 502, 43.82%female; M age = 14.52, SD = 0.71 yrs). We measured TCM constructs, including perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure time, beliefs and intentions towards leisure-time physical activity, and physical activity behavior at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-, three-, and six-months. Study hypotheses were tested through a series of ANOVAs and structural equation models using post-intervention and one-month follow-up data. Results We found no changes in TCM constructs or physical activity behavior in either group at post-intervention or at 1 month. Path analyses supported two propositions of the TCM as change variables: perceived autonomy support had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and autonomous motivation in PE had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in leisure time. Although we found a direct effect of autonomous motivation in leisure time on physical activity, we did not find support for the third premise of the TCM that autonomous motivation in leisure time indirectly affects physical activity through beliefs and intentions. Conclusions Current findings did not support the efficacy of the PETALS intervention at changing physical activity behavior and TCM constructs. More research is required to determine whether the TCM predictive validity is supported when other model variables are manipulated through experimental and intervention studies. Trial registration ISRCTN, ISRCTN39374060. Registered 19 July 2018. Prospectively registered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Istvan Soos ◽  
Ibolya Dizmatsek ◽  
Jonathan Ling ◽  
Adedokun Ojelabi ◽  
Jaromir Simonek ◽  
...  

Physical education focuses on the development of sports skills as well as fitness for health. In Central European countries there has been a shift in these focuses since the fall of Communism to follow internationally-recognised health-related physical activity recommendations, similar to Western European countries. In this study we investigated the extent to which motivation from school physical education transfers to leisure-time physical activity providing autonomy support by three social agents: school (physical education teachers), family and peers. Our study utilised the Aetological Approach (AA), Ecological Model (EM) and the Trans-Contextual Model (TCM) that consists of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explore how autonomous motivation is transferred between contexts (physical education, leisure-time and current behaviour). Nine-hundred and seventy-four students aged 11–18 (55% girls) participated in our study from four countries: Hungary, United Kingdom, Romania and Slovakia. A prospective research design was employed, and questionnaires were administered at three time points. Using 7-point Likert scales, attitude, usefulness, and affectiveness were measured. Furthermore, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (PBC) were tested within TPB. Autonomous and controlling motivation were measured within SDT by administering the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise questionnaires (BREQ and BREQ-2). Finally, past physical activity, intention and current physical activity behaviours were tested. Results indicated that perceived autonomy support from family and friends predicted autonomous motivation towards leisure-time physical activity in all four countries. However, teachers’ behaviour in some Eastern European countries did not predict this transfer. In general, in line with previous literature, boys reported more physical activity than girls. A strong influencing factor in the path model was that past behaviour predicted current behaviour, and according to that factor, boys reported being more active than girls.Boys also perceived more support from PE teachers than girls which was likely to have influenced their autonomous motivation in PE, which in turn transferred to leisure time. We discuss these results in the context of theories exploring the role of motivation and social environment on children’s choices related to physical activity. In conclusion, we suggest providing more autonomy support, especially by schools, for the enhancement of autonomous motivation of young people to promote their leisure time physical activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. e1-e10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kahar Abula ◽  
Jürgen Beckmann ◽  
Zhongkai He ◽  
Chengwa Cheong ◽  
Fuquan Lu ◽  
...  

Summary Based on the trans-contextual model, two studies aimed to test whether autonomy-supportive physical education (PE) promotes autonomous motivation towards leisure-time physical activity among Chinese college students. Study 1 was conducted in September 2015 and used a cross-sectional design. Participants were students who provided data on perceived autonomy support and motivation for physical activity. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Study 2 took place from September to December 2015 and employed an experimental design. Participants were PE teachers and their students. The teachers were randomized to either an intervention or a control group and those in the intervention group received a 3-month long autonomy-supportive intervention program. Their students provided data on motivation. The data were analyzed with repeated measurement analysis of variance. A total of 681 students aged 16–26 years participated in Study 1. Perceived autonomy support predicted autonomous motivation in PE (β = 0.18, P = 0.001), which in turn predicted autonomous motivation towards leisure-time physical activity (β = 0.51, P = 0.001). Ten PE teachers (28–53 years) and 258 students (16–26 years) participated in Study 2. Students who were educated by the intervention teachers had significantly stronger autonomous motivation towards leisure-time physical activity than students educated by the control teachers after the intervention, (F = 12.41, P = 0.001). The results suggest that PE may serve as an effective platform to promote an active lifestyle among Chinese college students when teachers provide students with an experience of autonomy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juho J. Polet ◽  
Jekaterina Schneider ◽  
Mary Hassandra ◽  
Taru Lintunen ◽  
Arto Laukkanen ◽  
...  

Abstract The present study aimed to examine effects of motivational and social cognition constructs on children’s leisure-time physical activity participation alongside constructs representing implicit processes using an extended trans-contextual model. The study adopted a correlational prospective design. Secondary-school students (N = 502) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time contexts, and social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), intentions, trait self-control, habits, and past behavior in a leisure-time physical activity context. Five weeks later, students (N = 298) self-reported their leisure-time physical activity participation. Bayesian path analyses supported two key premises of the model: perceived autonomy support predicted autonomous motivation in PE, and autonomous motivation in PE predicted autonomous motivation in leisure time. Both forms of autonomous motivation predicted social cognition constructs and intentions, but did not predict leisure-time physical activity participation. Self-control, attitudes, and past behavior were direct predictors of intentions and leisure-time physical activity participation. Specifying informative priors for key model relations using Bayesian analysis yielded greater precision for some model effects. Findings raise some questions on the predictive validity of the original trans-contextual model, but highlight the value of extending the model to incorporate additional constructs representing non-conscious processes.


Author(s):  
Adriaan Louw ◽  
Regina Landrus ◽  
Jessie Podolak ◽  
Patricia Benz ◽  
Jen DeLorenzo ◽  
...  

Chronic pain and the opioid epidemic need early, upstream interventions to aim at meaningful downstream behavioral changes. A recent pain neuroscience education (PNE) program was developed and tested for middle-school students to increase pain knowledge and promote healthier beliefs regarding pain. In this study, 668 seventh-grade middle-school students either received a PNE lecture (n = 220); usual curriculum school pain education (UC) (n = 198) or PNE followed by two booster (PNEBoost) sessions (n = 250). Prior to, immediately after and at six-month follow-up, pain knowledge and fear of physical activity was measured. Six months after the initial intervention school, physical education, recess and sports attendance/participation as well as healthcare choices for pain (doctor visits, rehabilitation visits and pain medication use) were measured. Students receiving PNEBoost used 30.6% less pain medication in the last 6 months compared to UC (p = 0.024). PNEBoost was superior to PNE for rehabilitation visits in students experiencing pain (p = 0.01) and UC for attending school in students who have experienced pain > 3 months (p = 0.004). In conclusion, PNEBoost yielded more positive behavioral results in middle school children at six-month follow-up than PNE and UC, including significant reduction in pain medication use.


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