Background/Purpose
Preliminary evidence indicates that almost 50% of 5-14 year old American Indian children are overweight or at risk for overweight (Wyoming Department of Health, 2004). Few studies have examined the processes by which physical education curricular programs influence physical activity participation in these at-risk populations. The trans-contextual model of motivation (TCM) is a multi-theory model of motivation that specifies the processes by which motivation for physical activity in a PE context is transferred into a leisure-time physical activity context ((Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Culverhouse, & Biddle, 2003) Using the TCM, this study examined the effect of an autonomy-supportive curriculum model (Sport Education (SE): Siedentop et al, 2004) in physical education on American Indian students' participation in a voluntary lunch recess sport-based physical activity opportunity.
Method
The study adopted a single group pre-test, post-test prospective design. Elementary aged students from a reservation school in the Rocky Mountain region (N =56, ages 9-12) completed measures of the TCM constructs before and after a 12-week SE intervention period. Participants had the opportunity to participate in a maximum of 10 voluntary weekly, lunch recess sport club sessions. Activities offered during lunch recess were identical to those taught during the SE intervention.
Analysis/Results
Repeated measures MANOVA analysis revealed that SE elicited significant increases in perceived autonomy support from classmates, PE teacher and autonomous motives in PE. Path analyses supported many of the hypothesized relationships among the TCM constructs. The TCM accounted for a significant proportion of the explained variance in physical activity intention and behavior during the lunch recess sport opportunity. The increase in student autonomous motivation in PE transferred to motivation to participate in extra-curricular physical activity via the mediation of autonomous motives in the lunch recess context.
Conclusions
These findings provide some support for the recommendation that PE teachers use autonomy-supportive curricular models when presenting physical activities to students. It also emphasizes the need for PE teachers to think more expansively about curriculum design, with a quality PE experience defined more broadly than just instructional innovation, but to include provision of school-based extra-curricular extension opportunities.