Andre Koka
Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
Citation
Koka, A. (2014). The relative roles of teachers and peers on students’ motivation in physical education and its relationship to self-esteem and Health-Related Quality of Life. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 45(3), 187-213. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2014.45.187
Abstract
This study examined the relative influence of perceived autonomy support from the teacher and peers on students’ global self-esteem and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) through the motivational processes within physical education (PE) in line with self-determination theory. Secondary school students (N = 395) ages 12-16 years completed a multi-section inventory assessing their motivational processes towards PE as well as global physical self-esteem. They also completed measures of global self-esteem and HRQoL on three occasions: baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. A well-fitting path-analytic model revealed a larger positive, significant indirect effect of perceived autonomy support from the teacher, relative to perceived autonomy support from peers, on students’ overall well-being variables. Results further revealed that physical global self-esteem partially mediated the effect of autonomous motivation towards PE on students’ global selfesteem and HRQoL, and that global self-esteem and HRQoL were reciprocally related over time. Results suggest that perceived autonomy support from both the teacher and peers in PE are essential antecedents to students’ overall well-being.
Keywords: Adolescents, Overall well-being, Perceived autonomy support, Selfdetermination theory, Significant others