Campus Units
Kinesiology
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
11-1-2018
Journal or Book Title
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
DOI
10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.10.008
Abstract
Objectives
Physical education could play a role in attenuating the decline in physical activity during the childhood-to-adolescence transition and inspiring children to adopt a lifelong physical activity habit. While psychological theories (e.g., Self-Determination Theory, Achievement Goal Theory) offer pointers for desirable changes to practice norms, experimental tests of the effectiveness of theory-based interventions in school settings are lacking. In this study, we compared the effects of a "traditional" and a "novel" physical education lesson on affective valence, enjoyment, and perceived satisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Design
Within-subjects field experiment, with two counterbalanced conditions.
Method
The participants were 148 children (4-6th grade, 52% female). Both lessons consisted of practicing aerobic capacity (running), core (curl-ups), and upper-body (push-ups) strength and endurance. In the "traditional" lesson, practice procedures followed FITNESSGRAM™ test instructions. The "novel" lesson incorporated elements designed to address basic psychological needs (e.g., freedom to select preferred running path, positive interactions among peers) and other evidence-supported modifications (e.g., music and video).
Results
Affective valence declined in the "traditional" lesson but remained stable in the "novel" lesson. Enjoyment and need-satisfaction for competence were higher after the "novel" lesson. These differences occurred despite no significant differences in total accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and the intensity of the aerobic components.
Conclusions
Easily implementable, theory-based modifications to physical education practices could improve the experiences derived by students. In turn, experiencing physical education as more pleasant, enjoyable, and need-supportive could raise the odds of long-term physical activity participation.
Copyright Owner
Elsevier Ltd
Copyright Date
2018
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Vazou, Spyridoula; Mischo, Amanda; Ladwig, Matthew A.; Ekkekakis, Panteleimon; and Welk, Gregory, "Psychologically informed physical fitness practice in schools: A field experiment" (2018). Kinesiology Publications. 37.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/kin_pubs/37
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Exercise Science Commons, School Psychology Commons
Comments
This accepted article is published as Vazou,S., Mischo, A., Ladwig, M, Ekkekakis,P., Welk, G.; Psychologically informed physical fitness practice in schools: A field experiment. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Nov 2018, Doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.10.008. Posted with permission.