The relations between students’ causality orientations and teachers’ interpersonal behaviors with students’ basic need satisfaction and frustration, intention to physical activity, and well-being

ABSTRACT

Background

According to self-determination theory [Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci. 2017. Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development and wellness. New York, NY: Guilford], teachers’ interpersonal behaviors would relate to students’ behavioral outcomes in physical education. Although a body of research in physical education highlights the importance of teachers’ behaviors in determining students’ outcomes, there is little research that aims to explore the relations of teachers’ behaviors and students’ individual differences in causality orientations concurrently with students psychological need satisfaction and need frustration in college physical education. Moreover, there is no study to examine the role of students’ causality orientations in relation to their perceptions of teachers’ interpersonal behaviors, the experience of basic needs, and outcomes in college physical education programs (PE).

Purpose

The current study tested the relations from students’ autonomous and controlled causality orientations and teachers’ need-supportive (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and need-thwarting teaching behaviors to students’ intention to continue physical activities (PA) and well-being through the mediating role of need satisfaction and frustration in college physical education. Also, the relations from students’ autonomous and controlled causality orientations to their perceptions of teachers’ need-supportive and need-thwarting behaviors, the experience of needs satisfaction and needs frustration, and intention to PA and well-being were examined.

Sample & method

Three hundred and twenty eight college PE students (M_age = 20.67, SD = 1.61) in a cross-sectional study filled out the target questionnaires. To examine hypotheses, two path analyses involving all possible paths were used.

Results

The results showed that students’ autonomous orientation and teachers’ need-supportive teaching behaviors related positively to need satisfaction, which, in turn, related to the intention to continue physical activity and well-being. Students’ controlled orientation and teachers’ need-thwarting behaviors related positively to need frustration, which, in turn, related negatively to intention to continue physical activity. Moreover, findings showed students’ autonomous orientation related to students’ need satisfaction, intention to PA and well-being through the mediating role of their perceptions of teachers’ need-supportive behaviors, whereas, students’ controlled orientation related to students need frustration and intention to PA through the mediating role of their perceptions of teachers’ need-thwarting behaviors.

Conclusion

This study provides interesting insights into the role of students’ autonomous orientation and teachers’ need-supportive behaviors in satisfying basic needs and greater intention to PA and well-being. Findings also suggest that students’ controlled orientation and teachers’ need-thwarting teaching behaviors would increase students’ need frustration, and therefore, decrease students’ intention to persist at physical activity in the domain of college PE programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Autonomous orientation
• need support
• need satisfaction
• physical education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.