ABSTRACT
During the pandemic, sedentary behavior and social isolation threatened college students’ physical and mental health. The effectiveness of Sport Education on combinations of variables associated with well-being and physical activity was explored. Undergraduate students (N = 236) participated in a 15-week intervention; Sport Education (experimental) was compared to Direct Instruction (control). A structural equation modeling approach and Causal Mediation Analyses were conducted to test hypothesized models. A mixed factorial ANOVA was used to examine physical activity engagement. Sport Education students participated in physical activity significantly longer than the Direct Instruction group at posttest; student perceived role and task orientation significantly predicted physical activity engagement, social dysfunction, and perceived stress in the Sport Education condition. Given the climate, college students became more task-oriented, socially supported, and stress relieved through Sport Education. Future longitudinal and qualitative inquiries are encouraged to examine the effectiveness of Sport Education in motivating lifelong physical activity and well-being.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2022.2149416
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.