This study was designed to test the validity of a hypothesized model of the direct or indirect effects of health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) on actual physical activity behaviors mediated by factors of the Self-Determination Theory of motivation using structural equation modeling (SEM). The hypothesized model posited that one’s HRFK could have direct effects on one’s physical activity but was more likely to be mediated through one’s perceived competence and self-determination profile (amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation).
Method:
High school students (N = 280), nearing the completion of a cognitive physical education course, completed a questionnaire concerning their health-related fitness knowledge, perceived competence for exercise, motivation to exercise, and actual exercise behaviors.
Analysis/Results:
Prior to the main analysis of the hypothesized model, the latent factor structure of the BREQ-2 was examined via confirmatory factor analysis, and descriptive statistics computed. Correlational statistics indicated an increasingly inverse relationship between amotivation and all other motivational subscales, which generally supports the simplex pattern and the ordering of these constructs along the Self-Determination Theory continuum (Ryan & Connell, 1989). Results from the main SEM analysis showed that the hypothesized model did not display a good fit to the data. Through an iterative process, alternative models were considered. The resulting model of best fit revealed no significant relationship between HRFK and either perceived competence or physical activity. However, in the presence of perceived competence, HRFK negatively predicted amotivation and positively predicted external regulation. Perceived competence was found as the greatest indicator of PA, mediated by introjected and identified regulation.
Conclusions:
The resulting model does not support the initial hypothesis in that it proposes that student’s health-related fitness knowledge has no significant effect on how competent they feel to be physically active or on their actual physical activity behaviors. The data suggests that students who feel competent are more self-determined and that educators should continue to support competence in CPE courses.
The results of this study raise questions as to how cognitive physical education courses are being taught and what aspects need to be changed in order for the course to influence students’ perceived competence for exercise and their physical activity levels.