Expectancy-Value Model, Physical Activity, and Aerobic Fitness in School Children

Thursday, March 15, 2012: 2:30 PM
Room 204 (Convention Center)
Melanie V. Rose, Tao Zhang and Karen Weiller-Abels, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

Background/Purpose: Student motivation energizes, directs and sustains students' achievement behaviors (Ryan & Deci, 2007). Positive student motivation in physical education (PE) could prompt students to be physically active and fit. The expectancy-value model provides an appropriate framework for understanding students' beliefs, values, and related achievement outcomes (Fredick & Eccles, 2002). This study, therefore, attempted to evaluate the influences of the motivational constructs from the expectancy-value model (belief about ability, expectancies for success, importance, interest, and usefulness) on elementary school students' physical activity (PA) and aerobic fitness measured by the FITNESSGRAM Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER; 2007).

Method: Participants were 118 (72 girls and 46 boys; M age = 10.7) fifth grade students from two suburban elementary schools. They completed previously validated questionnaires assessing their expectancy-value constructs, task values, and PA. The PACER test was used to evaluate students' aerobic fitness.

Analysis/Results: Correlation analyses revealed there were positive relationships among the variables. Two regression analyses indicated that importance and belief about ability (both β = .21, both p < .05) were positive predictors of PA (R2 = 12.6 %). Further, belief about ability (β = .44, p < .01) was the only positive predictor of students' aerobic fitness (R2 = 19.5%).�

Conclusions: These findings provided empirical evidence about relationships among students' expectancy-value constructs, PA, and aerobic fitness. The results highlighted the importance of focusing on the attainment value and increasing students' success rate in practice and a sense of success in PE classes in order to foster students' PA and aerobic fitness.� ���