Effects of autonomy-supportive ski instruction on skill acquisition, mental toughness, and self-efficacy in novice...

Instructional interactions in beginner skiing classes may influence both objective skill performance and psychological outcomes. However, longitudinal intervention evidence in high-risk skill-learning contexts remains limited, and objective skill performance and psychological outcomes have often been examined separately.

This study aimed to compare the effects of autonomy-supportive teaching and conventional teaching on skill acquisition, self-efficacy, and mental toughness in beginner skiing instruction.

A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted with 216 novice skiers from eight intact classes. The instructional program lasted 3 weeks and followed an intensive short-term schedule, with three 200-min sessions per week. Skill assessments and questionnaires were administered at three time points: after the standardized teaching phase in Week 1, after the Week 2 instructional sessions, and after the Week 3 instructional sessions. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine Group × Time interaction effects.

Learners receiving autonomy-supportive teaching reported significantly greater increases in perceived teacher autonomy support than those receiving conventional teaching. Skill acquisition, self-efficacy, and mental toughness all showed significant Group × Time interaction effects, with the autonomy-supportive teaching group demonstrating greater incremental improvements over time.

Autonomy-supportive teaching can simultaneously improve skill acquisition, self-efficacy, and mental toughness among novice skiers without increasing instructional time or practice volume. This study provides longitudinal empirical evidence for evaluating pedagogical intervention effects in high-risk skill-learning contexts.