An approach-Avoidance structural model of perceived social functioning in physical education

This study tested a cross-sectional approach-avoidance model integrating personal responsibility, interaction anxiety, fear of scrutiny, and perceived social functioning in university physical education (PE).

Participants were 215 students from six intact PE classes. Structural equation models were estimated using maximum likelihood and robust MLM with Satorra-Bentler correction because multivariate normality was violated. Model-based indirect associations were examined with 5000 bias-corrected bootstrap resamples, alongside measurement and sensitivity analyses.

The primary model showed acceptable robust approximate fit (CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.069, 90% CI [0.054, 0.084], SRMR = 0.043), although the exact-fit null was rejected (Bollen-Stine p = .001). In the pooled primary model, personal responsibility was positively associated with social connectedness (β = 0.639, p < .001), fear of scrutiny was negatively associated with it (β = -0.461, p < .001), and interaction anxiety showed a positive conditional coefficient (β = 0.224, p = .005) despite a negative zero-order association (r = -0.260, p < .001), consistent with suppression. After covariate adjustment, personal responsibility remained positively associated with connectedness (β = 0.198, p = .002), whereas interaction anxiety (β = -0.025, p = .675) and fear of scrutiny (β = -0.121, p = .067) were not statistically significant. The three social dimensions showed weak discriminant validity and substantial overlap.

The findings support a cautious, context-bounded structural account of perceived social functioning in university PE. The pooled upstream pattern was sensitive to course composition.