A variety of theoretical perspectives describe the crucial behavioral roles of motivation and emotion, but how these interact with perceptions of social contexts and behaviors is less well understood. This study examined whether autonomous motivation mediated the relationship between perceived autonomy support and behavioral engagement in physical education and whether this mediating process was moderated by positive emotion. A sample of 592 Korean middle-school students (304 boys, 288 girls; M age = 14.0yr., SD = 0.8) completed questionnaires. Autonomous motivation partially mediated the positive association between perceived autonomy support and behavioral engagement. Positive emotion moderated the relationship between autonomous motivation and behavioral engagement. This indirect link was stronger as positive emotion increased. These findings suggest the importance of integrating emotion into motivational processes to understand how and when perceived autonomy support is associated with behavioral engagement in physical education.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AikenL. S.WestS. G. (1991) Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions.Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2.
AssorA.KaplanH.Kanat-MaymonY.RothR. (2005) Directly controlling teacher behaviors as predictors of poor motivation and engagement in girls and boys: The role of anger and anxiety. Learning and Instruction, 15, 397–413.
3.
BagøienT. E.HalvaryH.NesheimH. (2010) Self-determined motivation in physical education and its links to motivation for leisure-time physical activity, physical activity, and well-being in general. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 111, 407–432.
4.
BergheL. V.VansteenkistebM.CardonaG.KirkcD.HaerensaL. (2014) Research on self-determination in physical education: Key findings and proposals for future research. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 19, 97–121.
5.
BlackA. E.DeciE. L. (2000) The effects of instructors' autonomy support and students' autonomous motivation on learning organic chemistry: A self-determination theory perspective. Science Education, 84, 740–756.
6.
BrunetJ.SabistonC. M. (2009) Social physique anxiety and physical activity: A self-determination theory perspective. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10, 329–335.
7.
ChirkovV. I. (2009) A cross-cultural analysis of autonomy in education: A self-determination theory perspective. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 253–262.
8.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (1985) Intrinsic motivation determination in human behavior.New York: Plenum.
9.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (2000) The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.
10.
FrazierP. A.TixA. P.BarronK. E. (2004) Testing moderator and mediator effects in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 115–134.
11.
FredricksonB. L. (2001) The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.
12.
GilletN.VallerandR. J.LafrenièreM-A. K.BureauJ. S. (2012) The mediating role of positive and negative affect in the situational motivation-performance relationship. Motivation and Emotion, 24, 175–213.
13.
GrossJ. J.JohnO. P. (2003) Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 348–362.
14.
HaggerM. S.ChatzisarantisN. L. D.BarkoukisV.WangC. K. J.BaranowskiJ. (2005) Perceived autonomy support in physical education and leisure-time physical activity: A cross-cultural evaluation of the trans-contextual model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 376–390.
15.
HayesA. F. (2013) Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach.New York: Guilford Press.
16.
IsenA. M.ReeveJ. (2006) The influence of positive affect on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Facilitating enjoyment of play, responsible work behavior, and self-control. Motivation and Emotion, 29, 297–325.
17.
LazarusR. S. (1991) Progress on a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion. American Psychologist, 46, 819–834.
18.
LazarusR. S. (2000) Cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion. In HaninY. L. (Ed.), Emotions in sport.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Pp. 39–63.
19.
NtoumanisN.StandageM. (2009) Motivation in physical education classes: A self-determination theory. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 194–202.
20.
PekrunR. (2006) The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18, 315–341.
21.
PekrunR.GoetzT.FrenzelA. C.BarchfeldP.PerryR. P. (2011) Measuring emotions in students' learning and performance: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ). Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36, 36–48.
22.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.LeeJ. Y.PodsakoffN. P. (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.
23.
PreacherK. J.RuckerD. D.HayesA. F. (2007) Assessing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42, 185–227.
24.
SabistonC. M.BrunetJ.KowalskiK. C.WilsonP. M.MackD. E.CrockerP. R. E. (2010) The role of body-related self-conscious emotions in motivating women's physical activity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 32, 417–437.
25.
SansoneC.ThomanD. B. (2005) Does what we feel affect what we learn? Some answers and new questions. Learning and Instruction, 15, 507–515.
26.
ShenB.McCaughtryN.MartinJ. J.FahlmannM.GarnA. (2012) Urban high-school girls' sense of relatedness and their engagement in physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 31, 231–245.
27.
SkinnerE.FurrerC.MarchandG.KindermannT. (2008) Engagement and disaffection in the classroom: Part of a larger motivational dynamic?Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 765–781.
28.
SolbergP. A.HalvariH. (2009) Perceived autonomy support, personal goal content, and emotional well-being among elite athletes: Mediating effects of reasons for goals. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 108, 721–743.
29.
TessierD.SarrazinP.NtoumanisN. (2010) The effect of an intervention to improve newly qualified teachers' interpersonal style, students' motivation and psychological need satisfaction in sport-based physical education. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35, 242–253.
30.
VandercammenL.HofmansJ.TheunsP.KuppensP. (2014) On the role of specific emotions in autonomous and controlled motivated behavior. European Journal of Personality, 28, 437–448.
31.
Van WidenfeltB. M.TreffersP. D. A.de BeursE.SiebelinkB. M.KoudijsE. (2005) Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of assessment instruments used in psychological research with children and families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 8, 135–147.
32.
WilsonP. M.RogersW. M. (2004) The relationship between perceived autonomy support, exercise regulations and behavioral intentions in women. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5, 229–242.
33.
YooJ. (2003) Motivational climate and perceived competence in anxiety and tennis performance. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 96, 403–413.
34.
YooJ.KimB. J. (2002) Young Korean athletes' goal orientation and sources of enjoyment. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 94, 1043–1049.
35.
YooJ.ParkJ. G. (2014) The role of emotion in motivational processes for engagement in physical education. Korean Journal of Sport Psychology, 25, 1–14.
