Self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to produce a desired result or perform a certain task, is one of the most important cognitive variables affecting lifestyle (Buckworth, 2000, Sallis et al., 1992). The use of the Physical Education Portfolio (PEP) provide an opportunity for students to exhibit their work in public, which is believed to enhance their self-efficacy in exercise. It is also believed that this can develop students’ active lifestyle (NASPE, 1995). This study attempts to focus on these areas in order to evaluate the impact of using PEP learning approach to promote students’ self-efficacy in physical exercise. All 10 sample schools have been trying to use the PEP approach in teaching and assessing three-month PE programmes in one or two classes, which were funded by the Hong Kong Education Department Seed Project. The design of PEPs which used by the experimental classes were mainly based upon the design of Sportfolio by Melograno (1998). The sample size included 482 and 442 students in the experimental group and the control group respectively. Significant differences were found between the experimental and the control groups (F=7.22, p<0.01), as well as between genders (F=5.936, p<0.05). The two-way ANOVA also revealed no major interactive effects between group and gender (F=3.396, p>0.05). The results are interpreted to mean that, in comparing gender within the whole sample group, boys’ perceptual ability to perform these physical activities was greater than girls’. The findings also showed that the students in the experimental group have more confidence in their perceptual ability to perform different physical activities than those in the control group. The findings showed that over 80% and 70% of the students in the experimental group supported the conceptual benefits of PEP related to the contribution of ‘self-learning and assessment’ and the generic skills respectively. In this study, students gained experience of using PEP for three months, while they tried to evaluate their own performance, record their self-learning process and tried to design their own learning targets in or after the PE class. This can enhance student awareness of their abilities not only in motor skill performance but also in their overall involvement and participation in physical activities.
Acknowledgement: This research was funded by Hong Kong Education Department.