The Effect of Teacher Autonomy Support on Leisure-Time Physical Activity via Cognitive Appraisals and Achievement Emotions: A Mediation Analysis Based on the Control-Value Theory

Julia Zimmermann, Henri Tilga, Joachim Bachner and Yolanda Demetriou
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Julia Zimmermann: Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 80992 Munich, Germany
Henri Tilga: Institute of Sport Science and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
Joachim Bachner: Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 80992 Munich, Germany
Yolanda Demetriou: Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 80992 Munich, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Analyzing students’ emotional experience in physical education (PE) is of crucial importance as it may fill an important gap in research examining the role of PE for students’ leisure-time physical activity (PA). Based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, the purpose of this study was to test the assumption that multi-dimensional autonomy support of the PE teacher may affect students’ leisure-time PA via their appraisals of control and value and achievement emotions experienced in PE. Variance-based structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed model in a sample of 1030 students aged between 11 and 18 years (M = 13.4, SD = 1.48) stemming from schools with the lowest educational level among secondary schools in Germany. The results indicated that in particular cognitive autonomy support positively predicted students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic value. Whereas appraisals of self-efficacy were negatively related to the experience of anxiety, intrinsic value was a major positive predictor of enjoyment. Enjoyment, in turn, was of substantial relevance for leisure-time PA. The findings offer a meaningful contribution in understanding students’ emotional experiences and remind PE teachers of their opportunity to adopt an autonomy-supportive teaching style to positively influence the emotions of their students.

Keywords: achievement emotions; control-value theory; autonomy support; self-efficacy; intrinsic value; enjoyment; anxiety; physical activity; physical education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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