Objectively measured physical activity during primary school physical education predicts intrinsic motivation independently of academic achievement level

Anne G.M. de Bruijn*, Johannes W. de Greeff, Taha Y. Temlali, Jaap Oosterlaan, Joanne Smith, Esther Hartman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background
Children's participation in physical education (PE) is seen as important for developing an active lifestyle and has been positively linked to academic achievement. Physical activity (PA) levels during PE are thought to be linked to PE-motivation, although this relation is poorly understood.

Aims
This study examined (1) whether children's PA-levels during PE were predictive of their PE-motivation and (2) whether the relation between PA-levels and motivation was moderated by children's academic achievement. Where previous studies focused on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), disregarding the potential beneficial role of lower intensities of PA, we included MVPA, light-intensity physical activity (LPA) and sedentary behaviour (SED).

Sample
In total, 891 primary school students participated (mean age = 9.2 years).

Methods
During one regular PE-lesson, PA-levels (using accelerometers) and PE-motivation (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory) were measured. Academic achievement in reading, mathematics and spelling was measured with standardized tests.

Results
A structural equation model revealed that LPA, MVPA and academic achievement positively predicted PE-motivation. The interaction between academic achievement and PA-levels was not related to PE-motivation. SED was excluded from the models due to multicollinearity.

Conclusion
Children who are more engaged in LPA and MVPA and who perform better academically generally seem to be more motivated for PE, suggesting that PA-intensity levels and PE-motivation are bidirectionally linked. Results underline the importance of also examining LPA.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12527
Pages (from-to)90-112
Number of pages23
JournalBritish Journal of Educational Psychology
Volume93
Issue numberS1
Early online date21 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2023

Bibliographical note

Special Issue: The Potential of Biophysiology for Understanding Motivation, Engagement, and Learning Experiences.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by a grant from the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (grant number: 405‐15‐410) and the Dutch Brain Foundation (grant number: GH 2015‐3‐01). The funding source had no involvement in the study design, data collection and analysis, and writing and submission of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank all participating children and their parents/legal guardians, schools and school directors.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Keywords

  • academic achievement
  • accelerometry
  • intrinsic motivation
  • physical activity
  • physical education

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