Citation

Koka A, Tilga H, Kalajas-Tilga H, Hein V, Raudsepp L. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019; 16(15): e16152709.

Affiliation

Institute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ujula 4 str., 51008 Tartu, Estonia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph16152709

PMID

31366009

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 (M_age = 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.

Language: en

Keywords

controlling teaching; hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; motivational regulations; need frustration; self-determination theory