Factors affecting the teachers' use of motivational strategies in the physical education class

• Main Author: Tan, Abigail Teck Min
• Other Authors: Wang Chee Keng, John
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::General::Education
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/70322
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Given the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s emphasis on developing self-directed learners (MOE, 2015), it is imperative to understand how students’ interest for learning can be enhanced. Studies have shown that Physical Education (PE) teachers’ use of motivational strategies have positive impacts on students’ motivation. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985a) as a foundational framework, the purpose of this study is to determine if factors that affect teachers’ motivation such as teachers’ autonomous causality orientation, teachers’ perceived job pressure and teachers’ perceptions of student self- determined motivation, teachers’ need satisfaction and teachers’ self-determined motivation, predict Singapore’s PE teachers’ utilisation of the three motivational strategies namely, gain an understanding of students, provide instrumental help and support and provide a meaningful rationale for students in a PE class. 101 PE teachers who taught in Primary or Secondary schools in Singapore voluntarily participated in this study. Assent forms and a multi-sectional questionnaire were administered. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and hierarchal multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that autonomous causality orientation significantly predicted gain understanding of students (β = .31, t = 3.37, p < .01) and provide meaningful rationale (β = .51, t = 6.0, p < .01). Also, perceptions of student self-determined motivation significantly predicted gain understanding of students (β = .28, t = 3.02, p < .01) and provide meaningful rationale (β = .26, t = 3.08, p < .01). Finally, need satisfaction significantly predicted provide meaningful rationale (β = .32, t = 3.42, p < .01).