Physical Education Teacher Motivation and Emotions: Extending Generalizability From an Expectancy-Value Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sport Pedagogy

Background:

• Understanding teacher emotions is crucial for effective physical education (PE).
• Expectancy-Value Theory provides a framework for analyzing motivational beliefs and their impact on emotions.
• Limited research exists on the specific motivational-emotional models for PE teachers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between PE teachers' motivational beliefs (expectancy, value, cost) and their emotional experiences (enjoyment, anger, anxiety).
• To develop and validate motivational-emotional models applicable to PE teaching and teacher education.

Main Methods:

• Survey research involving 388 PE teachers across the United States.
• Validated instruments used to measure motivational beliefs and emotional states.
• Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling employed for data analysis, including multi-group analysis for invariance testing.

Main Results:

• Cost beliefs were the strongest predictor of PE teacher emotions, positively correlating with anger and anxiety, and negatively with enjoyment.
• Expectancy and value beliefs showed minimal impact on anger and anxiety, with only marginal associations with enjoyment.
• Findings were consistent across different gender groups, teaching levels, and educational settings, indicating predictive invariance.

Conclusions:

• Cost beliefs significantly shape the emotional landscape of PE teachers.
• Addressing perceived costs is vital for fostering positive emotions and reducing negative ones in PE teaching.
• The study offers insights for enhancing teacher education programs and professional development to support a motivated PE workforce.