Abstract des Autors

According to SDT physical activity is autonomous and intrinsically motivated when people experience goals and decisions freely chosen and their actions are regulated by themselves. In our study we ex amine the impact of an autonomy-supportive teaching style on students' autonomy and physical activity levels in PE. We adopted a quasi-experimental design with group (autonomy-supportive teaching, control) and session (pre-test, intervention, post-test). 101 students (57 girls, 44 boys) (Mage = 12.71; SD = .47) completed the German version of the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale. The engagement in PE class was assessed by METs, moderate and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and steps count by accelerometer. We assessed the teaching styles by way of a scouting system. Students in the autonomy group showed higher levels of METs, physical activity and steps in PE class (p<.05) than the control group. In terms of autonomy no significant differences between the autonomy-supportive and the controlling classes were found. The trained teachers used more autonomy-supportive and less controlling items than the control teachers. Teachers' behaviour is essential to encourage students' physical activity. Research identifying the positive outcomes of different teaching styles is required. Increased physical activity in PE and motivation for out-of-school physical activity are some of these positive outcomes.