Testing a circular, feedback model in physical education from self-determination theory

Self-determination theory has emerged as one of the most important theoretical frameworks to explain motivation in the context of physical education within school systems. The authors propose a new circular, longitudinal, feedback model to complement Vallerand’s (1997) hierarchical model. To test this new approach, Epstein’s TARGET strategies (Epstein, 1988) were applied to 207 secondary education students. Moreover, the satisfaction of the basic psychological need for competence (C), intrinsic motivation (IM), and effort (E) were measured at nine time points (C1 → IM2 → E3 → C4 → IM5 → E6 → C7 → IM8 → E9). Structural equation modeling showed that the proposed model provided a satisfactory fit of the data, Satorra-Bentler χ2(22) = 36.31, p = .028, robust comparative fit index = .985, robust root mean square error of approximation = .056 (90% CI [.019, .088]), standardized root mean square residual = .039, power = 1.00. It was also observed that all variables increased progressively, suggesting interplay among them. This shows a concurrent causal relationship among these variables that produces a synergistic effect.