Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part I (2025)

Background: Physical Education (PE) is a key school-based pathway for promoting youth physical activity, yet many students remain disengaged in PE lessons and under-participate in school sports. PE teachers play a central role in shaping motivational climates that may influence both in-class engagement and broader sport involvement.
Objectives: This study examined how students’ perceptions of PE teachers’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness support predict multidimensional engagement in PE and participation in school sports, and tested whether autonomous motivation and self-efficacy mediate these relationships.
Methods: A school-based cross-sectional analytical design was used with 412 secondary-school students (12-18 years). Using validated self-report scales, students rated teacher need-support, autonomous motivation, PE self-efficacy, and behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement. School sport participation was assessed as weekly sessions in curricular/extracurricular sports. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical regressions, and structural equation modelling with bootstrapped mediation.
Results: Students perceived moderate teacher need-support and reported moderate-to-high PE engagement. Teacher autonomy, competence, and relatedness support correlated positively with autonomous motivation (r = 0.49-0.55), self-efficacy (r = 0.44-0.50), PE engagement (r = 0.39-0.50), and sport participation (r = 0.29-0.33) (all p<0.01). SEM showed that teacher need-support predicted PE engagement (β = 0.41) and sport participation (β = 0.18), with significant indirect effects through autonomous motivation and self-efficacy, indicating partial mediation. Model fit was acceptable (CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.045).
Conclusion: Need-supportive PE teaching is strongly associated with higher student engagement and greater school sport participation, largely via enhanced autonomous motivation and confidence. Strengthening autonomy-supportive, competence-building, and inclusive relational practices in PE may be a practical lever for increasing youth participation in school sport and physical activity.