Effectiveness of a creative physical education intervention on elementary school students’ leisure-time physical activity motivation and overall physical activity in Finland

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a creative physical education (CPE) intervention on students’ perceptions of motivational climate in physical education (PE), leisure-time physical activity (PA) motivation, and overall PA. A sample of 382 fourth to sixth grade students (Mage = 10.87[.93]) from two elementary schools were assigned to the CPE intervention (n = 196; Mage = 10.84[.95]) and control ‘PE-as-usual’ (n = 186; Mage = 10.90[.90]) groups. Students’ perceived task- and ego-supportive climate in PE, leisure-time PA motivation, and overall PA were measured before and after the one-year intervention. Analyses of covariance and path analyses were implemented to test the effectiveness of the intervention. The intervention had a positive effect on students’ perceptions of task-supportive climate in PE (p < .001) and a negative effect on ego-supportive climate (p < .001). Students’ perceptions of task-supportive climate had a positive effect on their leisure-time PA motivation (p < .001), which, in turn, had a positive effect on their overall PA (p < .001). The results suggest that CPE-based PE may increase students’ perceptions of task-supportive climate in PE, which predicts their later leisure-time PA motivation outside the school context and overall PA.