An intervention to improve teachers' interpersonally involving instructional practices in high school physical education: Implications for student relatedness support and in-class experiences

Research grounded in self-determination theory has demonstrated the important role of teachers in shaping students' physical education experiences. Utilizing a cluster-randomized controlled design, this study aimed to examine whether an interpersonally involving training program based on self-determination theory principles could enhance students' in-class experiences. With 18 teachers (males = 8, females = 10, M_age = 32.75, SD = 8.14) and a final sample of 382 students (males = 155, females = 227, M_age = 13.20, SD = 1.66), we implemented linear mixed modeling to investigate the effects on students' (a) perceived relatedness support and (b) enjoyment of physical education, tripartite efficacy beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy, other-efficacy, relation-inferred self-efficacy), self-determinedmotivation, and amotivation. Relative to those in the control condition, students in the treatment condition reported positive changes in teacher-provided relatedness support, enjoyment, otherefficacy, and peer-focused relation-inferred self-efficacy. These findings demonstrate support for strategies designed to aid physical education teachers' relatedness-supportive instructional behaviors.