Original articleChange in Physical Education Motivation and Physical Activity Behavior during Middle School
Section snippets
Participants and procedures
After securing institutional review board and school personnel approval, fifth and sixth graders from seven elementary and five middle schools in the midwest United States were invited to participate in a 3-year longitudinal project. The present study targets the last 2 years of this larger project, when all students were in middle school. Approximately 50% of invited students returned signed parent consent forms and participated in the study. Each year of the study, during a physical education
Preliminary analyses
Descriptive statistics for both years appear in Table 1. Correlations were in anticipated directions and the measures exhibited good internal consistency reliability, including subscales for calculating self-determined motivation (α = 0.70–0.93). The 2 × 2 (Time × Grade) repeated-measures MANOVA revealed only a significant Time effect, F(6, 337) = 6.69, p < .01; Wilk's Lambda = 0.89; ηp2 = 0.11. Univariate tests showed perceived competence, self-determined motivation and enjoyment in physical
Discussion
In combating youth physical inactivity, regular physical education and adequate levels of physical activity during school have been emphasized. However, limited attention has been paid to how physical activity experiences during school relate to leisure-time physical activity or to mechanisms explaining this relationship. This study extends past research by targeting affective and behavioral aspects of the physical education experience that may foster transference of physical activity behavior
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and the Purdue Research Foundation. We would also like to acknowledge Bonnie Blankenship and Helen Patrick for their contributions to this project and thank the teachers and students who participated.
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