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The objective of this study was to test a multilevel model about the relationship between teacher's controlling style, the relatedness and group cohesion in students. In addition, the invariance of the hypothesized model was tested across six countries. The sample was composed of 3178 university students of both sexes, aged between 17 and 63, from six countries of the Iberian Peninsula and South America (Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Brazil). At the group level, results of the multilevel structural equation model showed that the teacher's controlling style negatively predicts the relatedness, but does not predict the students' group cohesion significantly. At the individual level, the controlling teaching style does not predict the relatedness, but the relatedness positively predicts group cohesion. Multiple group comparison indicated that the hypothesized model could be considered invariant across six participating countries. The results extend research of this issue, and can have positive effects on the teaching-learning process in the classrooms., Author(s): Juan Antonio Moreno-Murcia [sup.1] , Elisa Huéscar Hernández [sup.1] , Gracielle Fin [sup.2] , Jaime León [sup.3] , Juan L. Núñez [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.26811.3c, 0000 0001 0586 [...]

The objective of this study was to design and validate a measuring instrument to evaluate the performance of university professors. The Evaluation of Teaching Performance (CEID [Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Docentes (Center for Teaching Studies and Research)]) questionnaire was administered to 1297 university students. Various factor analyses were performed (exploratory and confirmatory), of the internal consistency, descriptive statistics, and correlation of all of the items. The data obtained confirmed a suitable psychometric structure for the CEID scale, which was made up of three dimensions (planning, development, and result). It is therefore concluded that it is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the performance of a university professor.

Repetitive practice can become an exploratory activity where instruction and discovery are linked, allowing instruction and guidance through tasks that help to construct and acquire the knowledge and skills that make up the content. (1) Background: The aim of the study was to show how a teaching method based on guided discovery would affect the teaching of children's aquatic competence in schoolchildren with different levels of competence. (2) Methods: An observational study was conducted with 385 schoolchildren (195 boys and 189 girls) aged 3–5 years belonging to a charter kindergarten, using an Instrument for the Measurement of Aquatic Competence in Children (SMACC) consisting of 17 items grouped into three dimensions: socio-affective, cognitive, and motor. (3) Results: After measuring aquatic competence, all age groups and all variables (motor, cognitive, and socio-affective) showed differences between pre- and post-scores and a high magnitude of effect size. When the teaching intervention was analyzed according to the level of aquatic competence of the age group, improvements were found in all variables in both the low and high-competence groups. (4) Conclusions: This study describes how guided discovery instruction has equal effects at different levels of proficiency. Furthermore, when this type of instruction was used, aquatic competence was explained not only by the motor and socio-affective dimensions but also by the cognitive variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PE teacher's intervention can be more effective if they use certain motivational styles, helping to create a positive learning environment and to promote active lifestyle habits. However, if it is perceived as a negative experience, it could demotivate the learner and provoke rejection of the practice, thus jeopardising the motor literacy process. Following a cross-sectional-correlational design, the main objective of this study was to analyse the relationships between teachers' motivational styles and directiveness in Physical Education. 500 secondary school students participated. The SIS scale was used to determine interpersonal teaching style and the PCT scale was used to assess directiveness. The results indicated that the scale dimensions correlate positively and significantly with each other, except for Chaos, which correlates negatively with Autonomy Support and Structure. The Control dimension did not show any correlation with the rest of the dimensions assessed. In addition, the cluster analysis showed two profiles of teacher motivational style perceptions: a more directive one, called "dominant", and a more autonomous profile, called "adaptive". The results reveal positive links between adaptive motivational style, which supports learner autonomy in a positive and structured learning climate, and negative links with inattention and dropout. These findings suggest that the adaptive motivational style in PE involves the learner more autonomously in tasks and can help to create positive learning situations that encourage adherence to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a school-based intervention to promote physical activity, utilising the postulates of the trans-contextual model of motivation. The study examined two separate classes of elementary school students (mean age 11.28?years), one of which served as the control group (n?=?26) and the other as the experimental group (n?=?21). The intervention in the experimental group consisted of showing videos related to physical activity participation, conducting discussions and doing tasks related to the content presented in the videos and conducting family discussions. Autonomy support from teachers, peers and parents; motivation in physical education and leisure time physical activity; the different variables of theory of planned behaviour; and physical activity, were measured before and after the intervention. Results showed an increase in teacher autonomy support, identified regulation in physical education, autonomy support from parents and peers, integrated and identified regulation in leisure time physical activity, control, subjective norm, intention and physical activity in the experimental group. Furthermore, this increase resulted in post-intervention differences across groups in such variables. Results are discussed in relation to the important role of families in the promotion of physical activity participation.

The study focused on discovering the influence that an autonomous motor task learning programme had on the improvement of perceived competence, intrinsic regulation, incremental belief and motivational orientations. The study was performed with two groups of participants (n = 22 and n = 20) aged between 19 and 35 years. The instruments used were the incremental factor of the Conceptions of the Nature of Athletic Ability Questionnaire (CNAAQ-2), the Goal Orientation in Exercise Scale (GOES), the intrinsic regulation factor of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2), the perceived autonomy factor of the autonomy measurement scale (EMA) and the perceived competence factor of the Motives for Physical Activity Measure Revised Scale (MPAM-R). The questionnaires were handed out over 3 months in a weekly session with pre-test and post-test. The results showed that the use of an autonomy-based teaching programme increased perceived competence, intrinsic motivation, incremental ability belief and task-involving motivational orientation.

ResumenEl objetivo principal del estudio es examinar las actitudes hacia la práctica físico-deportiva según el sexo del practicante, con el fin de conocer y comprender los diferentes motivos que conducen a practicar actividades físicodeportivas. Para ello, se analizan las diferentes valoraciones otorgadas por el alumnado a la Educación Física, las prácticas físico-deportivas atendiendo a las diferencias existentes por sexo, la importancia de la motivación y la diversión en la práctica de actividad física regular, la aceptación social de las mujeres en el deporte y también, basándonos en todo lo expuesto, se establecen algunas prospectivas de estudio. Los resultados de los estudios muestran que las preferencias de los varones hacia la práctica físico-deportiva corresponden a actividades colectivas y competitivas, tales como el fútbol y el baloncesto, mientras que las adolescentes y mujeres muestran, tanto en la etapa educativa como post-educacional, actitudes positivas hacia actividades de tipo individual y estéticas tales como el aeróbic y la natación, actividades no ofertadas, en la mayoría de los casos, en las clases de Educación Física. Este aspecto ha sido considerado por los expertos como fomentador de desigualdad de oportunidades así como de discriminación del sexo femenino.AbstractThe principle objetive of the study is to examine the attitudes toward the practice of sports according to the sex of the practitioner, with the final objetive being to understand and describe the different motivations that drive them to exercise. For this, analysis is given to the different valuations given by the student body toward physical education. These include various physical activities practiced according to gender, the importance of motivation and “fun factor” in the practice of regular exercise, social acceptance of women in sport, and also, based on the results obtained, to establish various conclusions cocerning the study. The results demostrate that the preferences of males toward exercise tend to correspond with group activities and those that are competitive, such as soccer and basketball, whereas adolescents and women demonstrate that in the educational stage as well as post educational, that they have more positive attitudes toward individual activities such as aerobics and swimming, activities normally not offered in the majoriry of case in physical education classes. Many experts consider these factors as things that help promote opportunities as well as female sex descrimination.

ResumenEl objeto de este trabajo es la creación y validación de unas escalas para medir la competencia motriz acuática de los 4 a los 11 años. Para ello se utiliza una muestra de 645 niños con edades comprendidas entre los 4 y los 11 años. Se aplicó un análisis factorial exploratorio, quedando constituida por cuatro escalas, compuestas a su vez por dos factores cada una de ellas, una referida a la familiarización con el medio acuático, y otro factor referido a las acciones donde es necesario producir una inmersión. El número de ítems que componen las escalas son de 16 ítems para las edades de 4-5 y 6-7 años, 14 ítems para las edades de 8-9 años y 10 ítems para las edades de 10-11 años. Estos instrumentos mostraron poseer unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas tanto para la escalas totales (coeficiente alpha = .92, .95, .95 y .87, respectivamente) como para las dos subescalas: familiarización (coeficiente alpha=.96, .96, .96 y .88, respectivamente) e inmersión (coeficiente alpha=.85, .88, .87 y .83, respectivamente). Las Escalas de Competencia Motriz Acuática (ECMA) podrían ser consideradas como unos instrumentos de interés para la investigación y la aplicación práctica de los educadores acuáticos, al objeto de conocer la competencia motriz acuática de sus alumnos.AbstractThe main objective of this study has been the development and preliminary validation of several scales for the assessment of aquatic competence in children ages 4 to 11 years. Six hundred and forty-five children participated and were observed in different situations in the swimming pool. Analysis of this observation permitted to establish four scales composed by two main dimensions each one. One dimension about familiarity with the aquatics medium, and the other activities where the immersion is a key element. The number of items of each scale is of sixteen for the 4 to 5 yr. and 6 to 7 yr. scales; fourteen items in the 8-9 yr. scale and ten items for the 10-11 yr. scale. This preliminary analysis showed that these scales manifested an alpha coefficient higher than. 80, for the total of items and for the different factors that composed them. These Aquatic Competence Scales could be a good instrument for practitioners and researchers for analyzing the development of aquatic competence in children.

The evidence collected in the area of physical education indicates the need to continue to delve into the relationships and models that satisfy the basic psychological needs of the students and their consequences, in order to promote a high rate of physical activity. The aim of this study was to test the relationship between autonomy support, basic psychological needs and self-determined motivation with respect to enjoyment, intention towards practice and habitual physical activity. A sample of 717 students, aged between 13 and 19 years old was used. A longitudinal design was carried out with two measurement time points. The results indicated positive relationships for all model variables between the two measurement times. The results obtained are discussed with respect to the use of an interpersonal style to support autonomy in the academic context of physical education classes for the promotion of greater commitment and adherence to physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing interest in the renewal of traditional recreational content and the use of the aquatic environments as educational resources is supported by very few empirical, evidence-based studies that link the two. This quasi-experimental study analyzed the role of stories in influencing perceived motor competence and real motor skills in seventy-eight children ages between 4 and 5 years through the administration of two questionnaires on aquatic motor ability and aquatic motor competence. Differences were found in aquatic motor competence (p < .01) and aquatic motor ability (p < .05) for the experimental group, where higher means values were obtained after the intervention. We present this methodological proposal as a useful educational tool for early childhood stimulation with achievements that go beyond motor progress itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]