Effects of a training course on creation of an empowering motivational climate in physical education: a quasi-experimental study

ABSTRACT

Background

Physical education (PE) teachers report needing additional support in terms of classroom climate and students’ motivation (Verret et al. [2017]. Enquête provinciale sur les pratiques inclusives en enseignement de l’éducation physique et à la santé: Rapport provincial primaire et secondaire. Montréal, Québec: Université du Québec à Montréal. https://inclusion-eps.uqam.ca/diffusion/). Professional development represents an opportunity to exchange on their practices with colleagues, become familiar with the latest research on effective motivational strategies, develop new skills and support transfer into practice.

Objective

This study aims to determine if participation in a 2-day training course (spread over 3 days) on how to create an empowering motivational climate impacted students’ motivational variables (self-determined motivation, basic needs satisfaction, perception of motivational climate and PE effort as well as their intention to be physically active) and observed motivational climate.

Research design

Quasi-experimental study

Method

A total of 11 PE teachers (experimental group-EG = 6, control group-CG = 5) and their students (elementary = 107, secondary = 100) were recruited. Students completed questionnaires twice: once before the course and once after it was over. Teachers were filmed during two lessons: once before the start of training and once between the second and the last day of training, during a motivational strategy experiment planned by PE teachers on the second day of training. To analyze the data, we used non-parametric tests: the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test for related samples. Two experts coded the videos (intrarater reliability = 90.6%; interrater reliability = 93.8%).

Findings

Results indicate that the teachers’ training had no significant positive effect on students’ motivation. In fact, it was surprising to observe a significant decline in students’ perception of an empowering motivational climate and effort in the experimental group. However, scores were already quite high at the start of the year, remained high in the middle of the year and were similar for the two groups. Between both measurement points, the control group's amotivation increased and autonomy satisfaction decreased. This was not the case for students in the experimental group, suggesting that the training course might be effective in avoiding the detriment of students’ motivation. PE teachers in the experimental group were more empowering during the integration phase of the lesson. Gaps and the overall rating of the lesson (motivational climate) were both more empowering in the experimental group, but did not reach statistical significance (p = .066), which is promising for future interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-determination theory
• achievement goal theory
• professional development
• teacher training
• educational consultant

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 Teachers had to choose a group of students that they found difficult to motivate.

2 The development of pedagogical and technological tools used for the training session was funded by Québec en Forme and carried out by two educational consultants and one PE teacher from the Réseau pour le développement des compétences des élèves par l’intégration des technologies (Récit, C.S. de Saint-Hyacinthe). In total, more than 30 videos describing the implementation of the proposed motivational strategies and different technological tools applicable in PE are available on a website, along with a trainer’s guide and a power point presentation for each day of training that can be modified as needed. The idea was to provide a turnkey training that educational consultants could then appropriate and adapt to the reality of their respective environments. After conducing the research project, all training material was presented in April 2019 to more than 50 educational consultants in the province of Quebec.

3 These phases (preparation, realization, integration and gaps) refer to the lesson’s different pedagogical aims (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport 2006). See the observed measures section for a detailed definition of each phase.

4 During the training, it was important for the educational consultant to consider the different phases of the lesson when planning experimentation with teachers in respect with their pedagogical practices. Given that phases of the lesson are iterative, meaning that it is possible to have multiple preparation and realization phases in the same lesson, to get a score for each phase, it was not appropriate to code only according to time interval as in previous studies.

5 For the three needs, factorial analysis suggests withdrawing the reverse item from the competence scale and two items from the autonomy scale. As for the dimensions of the empowering motivational climate, they were combined into one variable after six items of the mastery scale and one item of the autonomy support scale were withdrawn. For types of motivation, three factors were identified: self-determined motivation, controlled motivation and amotivation. To obtain the three factors, one item was withdrawn from the intrinsic motivation scale, two items from the identified regulation scale and two other items from the introjected regulation scale. As regards effort and intention, one item was withdrawn from both scales.

6 These results are available in Appendix C.

7 Between the two observations in class, the entire school team (teachers, special educator, psychoeducator, school principal) was mobilized to better supervise and ensure a formal follow-up of the management of behavioural problems of one of the groups of students.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institutional Research fund of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.