Motivaatioilmaston yhteys yhdeksäsluokkalaisten fyysiseen aktiivisuuteen ja viihtymiseen koulun liikuntatunneilla

The aim of this study was to test a theoretical model, in which self-determined motivation was proposed to be constructed of the dimensions of perceived autonomy, social relatedness, and perceived competence. In order to achieve this aim the research involved the execution of three main goals. Firstly, self-determination theory was extended by integrating the two criteria of perceived competence, task and ego involvement, both adopted from the goal orientation model, to the dimensions of autonomy and social relatedness. To test this model, the Motivational Climate in School Physical Education Scale (MCSPES) was developed, and its psychometric properties were analyzed. Secondly, the study examined how the pupils perceive the motivational climate of school physical education, how they enjoyed the lessons, and how physically active they perceived themselves to be during the lessons. Thirdly, the associations between perceived motivational climate, physical education mark, pupils’ enjoyment, and the intensity of physical activity during physical education lessons were assessed.The development of the MCSPES consisted of two pilot phases. The final sample consisted of 4397 ninth grade pupils, including 2594 girls and 1803 boys. Enjoyment was measured using the Enjoyment in Sport scale. The intensity of physical activity was evaluated by a two item scale. The construct validity of the MCSPES was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis.The statistical fit of the four-factor model consisting of perceived autonomy climate, social relatedness climate, task involving and ego involving climate factors was not satisfactory, thus, two new models were tested. In the first, factors supporting self-determination were the task involving climate, autonomy, and social relatedness. Ego involving climate was analyzed as one-dimensional factor, due to its low correlation with the other three climate factors. Based on the statistical parameters, the hypothesized theoretical structures of the three-factor and the one-factor models were supported for both genders. The internal consistency analyses showed that all subscales demonstrated adequate reliability. The MCSPES can be considered as psychometrically valid tool to measure motivational climate in Finnish ninth grade pupils.Results indicated that pupils enjoyed physical education lessons. Motivational climate dimensions supporting task involvement, autonomy, and social relatedness had a positive, statistically significant relationship with pupils’ enjoyment and physical activity in physical education lessons. Ego involving climate was associated with enjoyment and physical activity levels below the mean even for the pupils with a high physical education mark, if the climate was not simultaneously highly task involving. Alternatively, the level of enjoyment of the pupils with a low physical education mark was at or above the mean level in cases where these students perceived the climate to be highly task involving, regardless of the level of ego involving climate.Multilevel analyses showed that enjoyment and perception of motivational climate are primarily individual experiences. In the boys’ classes, the effect of the teacher on the pupils’ perception of enjoyment and motivational climate dimensions was only small. In the girls’ classes, the teacher played a stronger role in the perception of enjoyment and all four motivational climate dimensions. Also, the effect of the class on the perception of enjoyment and motivational climate dimensions in girls was stronger, except for task involving climate.Oppilaat viihtyvät ja ovat fyysisesti aktiivisia liikuntatunneilla, joilla he saavat vaikuttaa tuntien kulkuun, tuntevat kuuluvansa ryhmään ja keskittyvät taitojensa kehittämiseen omista lähtökohdistaan. Tämä käy ilmi Markus Soinin koululiikunnan motivaatioilmastoa ja sen yhteyttä viihtymiseen ja fyysiseen aktiivisuuteen käsittelevästä väitöstutkimuksesta.Yhdeksäsluokkalaiset viihtyvät keskimäärin hyvin liikuntatunneilla ja kokevat itsensä aktiivisiksi. Kuitenkin oppilaat, joilla liikuntanumero on alle kahdeksan, viihtyvät liikuntatunneilla selvästi muita huonommin ja ovat fyysisesti muita vähemmän aktiivisia. Kyseisen ryhmän myönteisten liikuntakokemusten lisääminen on selkeä haaste liikunnanopetukselle. Arvioinnissa heikosti menestyneet oppilaat ovat ryhmä, jonka tulisi saada erityishuomiota – muutoin vaarana on liikunnallisen elämäntavan ulkopuolelle syrjäytyminen.Koululiikunnan opetussuunnitelmassa asetetut varsin yksityiskohtaiset taidolliset tavoitteet ja arvosanan kahdeksan kansallinen yleistettävyys ohjaavat opettajia vertaamaan oppilaita keskenään koulun, opetusryhmän ja yksilöiden tasolla. Normatiivista vertailua korostava ilmapiiri on kuitenkin liikuntatunneilla aktiivisuutta ja viihtyvyyttä vähentävä tekijä. Vaihtoehto liikuntanumerolle voisi olla kirjallinen arvio henkilökohtaisesta kehittymisestä tai numeroarvioinnin vapaaehtoisuus.Viihtymisen ja aktiivisuuden lisäämiseksi tulisi Soinin mukaan miettiä koko koululiikunnan tarjonnan ja kysynnän suhdetta: onko koulujemme liikunnan opetussuunnitelmissa riittävästi tarjolla monipuolista liikuntaa vai perustuvatko ne urheilulähtöisesti eri lajien harjoitteluun