Cedric Roure

Exploring situational interest sources in the French physical education context

Based on the framework of interest, studies have shown that situational interest possesses strong motivation potential for students in physical education. Understanding how teachers can use situational interest in a classroom context is critical to motivate students. However, such investigations have been exclusively conducted in the United States and little is known about situational interest in other contexts. Grounded specifically in the French physical education curriculum, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the five situational interest sources (instant enjoyment, exploration intention, attention demand, challenge and novelty) and total interest, to demonstrate which sources could be related to total interest and to determine possible mediators’ effects among sources. Students (n = 601; M age = 14.37; range 11–18 years; SD = 1.96; 51.4% boys) from 25 classes in six secondary schools participated in the study. They responded to the French situational interest scale after practising learning tasks in regular physical education lessons. On the basis of multiple-regression and mediation analyses, a structural equation model was formed to map out the meaningfulness of the relationships among situational interest sources and the total interest. Our results showed that instant enjoyment and exploration intention have direct and positive effects on total interest. In addition, these sources mediated the effects from attention demand and challenge toward the total interest. These results indicated that an effective way to motivate students in physical education is to build motivational components into the course content, especially those which enhance situational interest.

Development, validity and reliability of a French expectancy-value questionnaire in physical education (FEVQ-PE)

The purpose of the present study was to develop a reliable and psychometrically sound French questionnaire related to the expectancy-value theory in physical education. Four stages were followed: (1) the development of a preliminary version based on the findings of a literature review on expectancy-value and a committee process validation; (2) a 1st study conducted on 354 secondary school students (Mage = 14.3, SD = 1.9) to establish the factor structure (exploratory factor analyses) and internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients) of this questionnaire; (3) a 2nd study based on 282 secondary school students (Mage = 14.9, SD = 1.9) to verify the factor structure and internal reliability of the questionnaire and to test its predictive validity (multiple-regression analysis); (4) a 3rd study with 329 students (Mage = 13.7, SD = 1.6) to further test the factor structure (confirmatory factor analyses) and the temporal stability of the questionnaire. The results demonstrated strong support for the psychometric properties and factor structure of the questionnaire. The final form of the questionnaire consists of a 4-factor structure based on 17 items that evaluate expectancy-related beliefs (6 items) and subjective task values in physical education (4 items for attainment value, 3 items for utility value, and 4 items for intrinsic interest value). This questionnaire will be useful for the development of future studies based on expectancy-value model in secondary school physical education in French-language countries. Le but de la présente étude consistait à mettre au point un questionnaire en français, fiable et solide sur le plan psychométrique en lien avec la théorie attente-valeur dans le domaine de l’éducation physique. Quatre stades ont été suivis : (1) l’élaboration d’une version préliminaire fondée sur les conclusions d’une revue de la documentation sur le modèle attente-valeur ainsi qu’une validation du processus par un comité; (2) une première étude menée sur 354 étudiants de niveau secondaire (âge médian = 14,3, écart-type = 1,9) visant à établir la structure factorielle (analyse factorielle exploratoire) et la fiabilité interne (coefficients alpha de Cronbach) de ce questionnaire; (3) une 2e étude fondée sur 282 étudiants de niveau secondaire (âge médian = 14,9, écart-type = 1,9) visant à vérifier la structure factorielle et la fiabilité interne du questionnaire et à tester sa validité prédictive (analyse de régression multiple); (4) une 3e étude auprès de 329 étudiants (âge médian = 13,7, écart-type = 1,6) visant à vérifier la structure factorielle (analyse factorielle confirmatoire) et la stabilité temporelle du questionnaire. Les résultats ont démontré un ferme appui pour les propriétés psychométriques et la structure factorielle du questionnaire. La forme finale du questionnaire se caractérise par une structure à quatre facteurs fondée sur 17 items qui évaluent les croyances relatives aux attentes (6 items) et valeurs de tâches subjectives en éducation physique (4 items pour la valeur de l’accomplissement, 3 items pour la valeur de l’utilité et 4 items pour la valeur de l’intérêt intrinsèque). Ce questionnaire sera utile pour l’élaboration de futures études basées sur le modèle attente-valeur dans les cours d’éducation physique d’écoles secondaires dans les pays de langue française.

Effects of situational interest dimensions on students’ learning strategies in physical education

Previous studies have shown that situational interest, as a primary motivator for students, affects student cognitive engagement. Considering this, the purpose of this study was to examine, within a situated perspective, the effects of situational interest dimensions on students’ learning strategies in physical education. A total of 148 tenth-grade students (mean age = 16.1, 15–17 years, standard deviation = 1.3, 40% boys) participated in a 30-minute body-conditioning learning task. Students’ situational interest and learning strategies were measured using validated self-reported questionnaires. Using correlations and regression analyses, the results showed that exploration intention positively predicts the learning strategies used by students. To motivate students and enhance their learning strategies, teachers could consider designing learning tasks that require higher-order cognitive processes demanding active exploration.