ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1675108
This article is part of the Research TopicTowards a Psychophysiological Approach in Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sports-Volume VView all 18 articles
The Mediating Role of Physical Education Course Interest in the Relationship Between Perceived Autonomy Support, Feedback, and School Attachment
Provisionally accepted
Ahmet Enes SAĞIN1
Mehmet Akif YÜCEKAYA2
Sinan UĞRAŞ3
Barış MERGAN4Cenk TEMEL5
Muhsin DURAN6*
Pedro Alexandre Duarte-Mendes7- 1Bartin Universitesi, Bartın, Türkiye
- 2Dicle Universitesi, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
- 3Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi, Çanakkale, Türkiye
- 4Tokat Gaziosmanpasa Universitesi, Tokat, Türkiye
- 5Akdeniz Universitesi, Antalya, Türkiye
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
- 7Instituto Politecnico de Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal
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Introduction: Students' sense of school attachment is crucial for their academic success and emotional well-being. Previous studies have shown that autonomy-supportive behaviours and constructive feedback from teachers can positively affect students' motivation and participation, especially in physical education (PE) classes. However, limited research has examined the mediating role of students' interest in PE in the relationship between teacher support and school attachment. This study investigates the mediating role of physical education course interest in the relationship between perceived autonomy support and perceived teacher feedback and students' overall school attachment. Methods: A total of 560 middle school students in Türkiye participated in this study. The study utilised validated scales to assess perceived autonomy support, teacher feedback, interest in PE, and school attachment. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and mediation analyses were conducted using JASP software, with bootstrap methods applied to test indirect effects. Results: Findings revealed that both perceived autonomy support and teacher feedback positively and significantly predicted school attachment. Interest in PE was found to mediate the relationship between these variables and school attachment. Specifically, perceived autonomy support and feedback increased students' interest in PE, which in turn enhanced their sense of attachment to school.The study highlights the crucial role of autonomy-supportive teaching and constructive feedback in strengthening students' interest in PE and promoting school attachment. Teachers who foster a supportive learning climate can significantly enhance students' educational engagement and emotional connection to school.
Keywords: autonomy support, Teacher feedback, physical education interest, School attachment, Mediation, student engagement
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 SAĞIN, YÜCEKAYA, UĞRAŞ, MERGAN, TEMEL, DURAN and Duarte-Mendes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Muhsin DURAN, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
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