scholarly journals Does Perceived Competence Mediate between Ball Skills and Children’s Physical Activity and Enjoyment?

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 575
Author(s):  
Tao Zhang ◽  
Joonyoung Lee ◽  
Lisa M. Barnett ◽  
Xiangli Gu

The major purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating role of perceived motor skill competence on relationships between actual ball skills and children’s physical activity (PA) and PA enjoyment. A total of 294 students (Mage = 10.96 ± 0.76; 51.7% boys) from three elementary schools completed validated questionnaires assessing their perceived competence, self-reported PA, and PA enjoyment. Students’ actual ball skills (i.e., basketball, overhand throwing, striking) were measured by PE MetricsTM. Correlation analyses showed positive relationships among the study variables (rs ranging from 0.12 to 0.56). The structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses demonstrated that the mediation model produces a goodness-of-fit to the data: χ2/df = 52.03/32; CFI = 0.96; NFI = 0.90; IFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.04. Path coefficients suggested that actual ball skill competence was strongly associated with perceived competence (β = 0.36, p < 0.01), which in turn significantly predicted PA (β = 0.29, p < 0.01) and PA enjoyment (β = 0.35, p < 0.01). The findings highlight that ball skills significantly impact students’ perceived competence, positively and indirectly affecting their PA and PA enjoyment. This study provides empirical evidence that recommends intervention strategies aimed at fostering elementary school students’ PA and PA enjoyment.

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Haslem ◽  
Carol Wilkinson ◽  
Kevin A. Prusak ◽  
William F. Christensen ◽  
Todd Pennington

The purpose of this study was (a) to test a hypothesized model of motivation within the context of conceptual physical education (CPE), and (b) to explore the strength and directionality of perceived competence for physical activity as a possible mediator for health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) and physical activity behaviors. High school students (N = 280) at the end of a CPE course completed the following: Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire–2, Godin Leisure–Time Exercise Questionnaire, Perceived Competence Scale, and a HRFK Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to explore the relationships between the variables of HRFK, perceived competence, motivation, and physical activity. The analysis resulted in a modified model that showed a relationship between perceived competence and physical activity, mediated by introjected and identified regulation. A relationship also existed between HRFK and external regulation indicating students felt controlled. Suggested value-promoting activities could help students value concepts being taught.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Wen Hsu ◽  
Chih-Ping Chou ◽  
Selena T. Nguyen-Rodriguez ◽  
Arianna D. McClain ◽  
Britni R. Belcher ◽  
...  

Background:A profound decline in physical activity occurs in puberty. This phenomenon is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine associations between family/friend social support for physical activity, negative meanings of physical activity (NMPA), and internal /external barriers to physical activity with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary and light behavior (SLB) in youth.Methods:A total of 350 participants from 7 Los Angeles County middle schools participated in the study (62% Latina, 79% females). Hypothesized pathways were examined using structural equation modeling. Psychosocial variables and participation in MVPA and SLB were assessed by self-reported questionnaires.Results:NMPA were related to lower levels of family/friend social support and greater internal/external barriers. Family social support was the only significant indicator of MVPA (β = 0.79). Low family social support was related to higher SLB (β = −0.25).Conclusions:Family social support seems crucial to promote MVPA and reduce SLB in adolescents and might be influenced by child’s feelings about physical activity. Future research should consider the interrelationship between psychosocial correlates of physical activity.


Author(s):  
Rubén Trigueros ◽  
Adolfo J. Cangas ◽  
José M. Aguilar-Parra ◽  
Joaquín F. Álvarez ◽  
Alexandre García-Más

Despite the multiple benefits associated with practicing physical activity regularly, less than 20% of the population do it on a daily basis. Physical education classes could contribute, during childhood and adolescence, to consolidating adherence to healthy lifestyle habits. The present study involved 606 secondary school students between the ages of 13 and 19. We analysed the relationships between the perception of psychological control and support for autonomy, the satisfaction and frustration of psychological needs, mind-wandering and mindfulness, positive and negative emotions, motivation towards physical education classes, physical activity and the intention to be physically active—all through a structural equation model, which presented acceptable goodness-of-fit indices. The results showed that students who feel more autonomous see that their psychological needs are met and feel emotionally positive; this will result in the development of autonomous motivation towards physical education classes and physical activity that, in turn, could lead to a greater intention to be physically active.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangli Gu ◽  
Katherine Thomas Thomas ◽  
Yu-Lin Chen

Purpose:Guided by Stodden et al.’s (2008) conceptual model, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations among perceived competence, actual motor competence (MC), physical activity (PA), and cardiorespiratory fitness in elementary children. The group differences were also investigated as a function of MC levels.Methods:A correlational research design was used in this study. There were 262 children (Mage = 10.87, SD = .77) recruited from three schools in the southern U.S. Students’ MC was objectively measured based on a process-oriented assessment (PE Metrics, NASPE, 2010). Students self-reported perceived competence and leisure-time PA. Then, the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) and pedometers were used to measure students’ cardiorespiratory fitness and in-class PA, respectively.Results:The structural equation modeling analysis supported the significant indirect effect of the MC on cardiorespiratory fitness and PA through perceived competence. The MANCOVA yielded a significant main effect for MC groups after controlling for sex [Wilks’s Lambda = .838, F = 12.15 (4, 251), p < .001, η2 = .16]. Regardless of sex, children with low MC demonstrated lower perceived competence, PA, and cardiorespiratory fitness compared with children with higher MC (p < .001).Discussion:Development of students’ competence beliefs in PE and certain movement patterns should be emphasized, especially during middle childhood. High quality PE programs must be aligned with national standards, with particular attention to enhancing skill acquisition (standard 1) and PE-motivation (i.e., perceived competence; standard 5).


Author(s):  
Ming-Yu Claudia Wong ◽  
Pak-Kwong Chung ◽  
Ka-Man Leung

The association between physical activity in achieving mental health benefits and subjective well-being is consistently identified by empirical research. The causation of a positive self-concept created by physical exercise is empirically supported by Sonstroem and Morgan’s (1988) exercise and self-esteem model (EXSEM). However, various drawbacks of maintaining high self-esteem have been identified; thus, the concept of self-compassion was conjectured to be a form of “true self-esteem.” Hence, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity and self-compassion by examining the exercise and self-esteem model revised with self-compassion (EXSEM-SC). This study recruited secondary school students from Hong Kong using convenience sampling. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, including path analysis and multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling, were used to reveal the results of the study. The results (n = 1097) indicated that the relationship between physical activity and self-compassion could be demonstrated by the EXSEM-SC, with a satisfactory goodness-of-fit index in the SEMs. The SEM also demonstrated the direct paths from physical activity to self-compassion and mental well-being, indicating the significant effect of physical activity on self-compassion.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Amla SALLEH

Teaching values in modern schools is a new phenomenon. Malaysian national curriculum at both primary and secondary school levels ensures that students develop desirable attitudes and behaviors based on human, religious, and spiritual values. The inculcation of the values is made possible through various subjects and non-academic subjects and students’ activities. However, knowledge about values education remains limited because there is no measurement device to assess the extent of values teaching in school. To fill this gap, the present study was designed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of an instrument measuring values teaching schools.  Using data from 400 high school students, the study developed and validated a measure called Malaysia School Values Scale (MSVS) tailored to high school students in Malaysia. A robust analysis of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) provides a rigorous analysis of the model power in relation to construct and content validity, confirming the dimension and analyzing the fitness of the data collected in the hypothesized model. This paper provides insight construct and  content analysis using the CFA approach to consider the 15 school values constructs. To achieve the intended research objective, the 15 school values were explored. The results provide evidence that the MSVS achieved sound psychometric properties. The overall reliability value of Cronbach’s Alpha was acceptable. The CFA results showed that the goodness-of-fit indices for the hypothesized model were as follows: x2 (182) = 627.269, p = 0.00, x2/DF = 3.409, GFI = 0.852; AGFI = 0.814, CFI = 0.92; IFI = 0.921, RMSEA = 0.077. Each of the indices was above the threshold value. Results imply that MSVS is a valid measure to describe the school values among high school students. However, more studies are recommended to further validate the scale.


2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 248-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Dorman ◽  
Campbell J. McRobbie

Over the past 30 years, independent lines of research in the fields of classroom environment and student attitudes to Christianity have been conducted. This research brought these two fields together by hypothesizing a model for the relationship among age, gender, students’ perceptions of religion classroom environment, students’ religious behavior and attitudes to Christianity. Responses from 815 Australian Catholic secondary school students on four attitude to Christianity scales, four classroom environment scales and the religious behavior of students and their parents were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the structure of the classroom environment and attitude to Christianity measures. Goodness of fit indices obtained from structural equation modeling revealed that the hypothesized model was a satisfactory fit to the data. Statistically significant path coefficients for the influence of students’ religious behavior and students’ perceptions of the religion classroom environment on students’ attitude to Christianity were found.


Author(s):  
Elisabeth Rosa Pelikan ◽  
Marko Lüftenegger ◽  
Julia Holzer ◽  
Selma Korlat ◽  
Christiane Spiel ◽  
...  

AbstractIn March 2020 schools in Austria temporarily closed and switched to distance learning to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The resulting situation posed great challenges to teachers, guardians and students (Huber and Helm 2020). Research has shown that perceived competence (Deci and Ryan 2000) affects selfregulated learning (SRL), intrinsic motivation and procrastination, however few studies have considered these variables in context of distance learning among adolescents. This study investigated differences in students who perceived themselves as high vs. low in competence with respect to these constructs. In an online questionnaire, 2652 Austrian secondary school students answered closed questions regarding SRL, intrinsic motivation and procrastination as well as open-ended questions about challenges, successes and need for support in distance. Structural equation modeling was applied for the quantitative analysis which was complemented by thematic analysis for the qualitative questions (Braun and Clarke 2006). Results showed that students who experienced themselves as highly competent use SRL strategies (goal setting and planning, time management, metacognitive strategies) more often and are more intrinsically motivated than students with lower perceived competence. They also procrastinate less. Furthermore, qualitative analysis revealed that although all students face similar challenges (e.g., independent learning, time and task management, learning on the computer, lack of contact with teachers and peers), students who perceived themselves as highly competent seemed to cope better, and have less need for support. Implications for distance learning and future research are discussed.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Xiangli Gu ◽  
Priscila M. Tamplain ◽  
Weiyun Chen ◽  
Tao Zhang ◽  
M. Jean Keller ◽  
...  

The purposes of the study were: (1) to investigate the associations between fundamental motor skills (FMS), health-related fitness (HRF) and physical activity (PA) during middle childhood; and (2) to examine whether HRF serves as a mediator in these pathways. The participants were 342 children (156 girls; Mage = 8.40, SD = 0.50) recruited in Texas. Children’s FMS (locomotor and ball skills) were assessed. School-based PA that included light, moderate, and vigorous PA was captured by accelerometers. The FITNESSGRAM battery was used to measure children’s HRF, including body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular fitness. Structural equation models were used to evaluate two proposed models (model-1 = FMS»HRF»PA; model-2 = PA»HRF»FMS). Both locomotor and ball skills were associated with all components of HRF (p < 0.01), but not PA. The SEM analyses supported associations between FMS, HRF and PA, with sound goodness-of-fit indices: (1) model-1: CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.072; and (2) model-2: CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.071, respectively. The relationship between FMS and PA was fully mediated by the HRF in both directions. The behavioral mechanism (e.g., maintaining appropriate levels of HRF) provides meaningful insights to understand the obesity trajectory during middle childhood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2322
Author(s):  
Sukkyung You ◽  
Kyulee Shin ◽  
Mihye Kim

This study examined the long-term effect of physical activity on life satisfaction from a sample of 2092 middle school students (52.5% male) in South Korea. Structural equation modeling analyses were employed to understand how various factors influence youth life satisfaction. Physical activity during physical education class had a long-term influence on life satisfaction through both internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors as mediating factors. Gender differences were found in the relationships between physical activity and life satisfaction. The current findings imply that encouraging students in early adolescence to actively engage in physical education potentially is a useful educational intervention method. Implications and future directions are discussed.


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