The Effect of the Motivational Climate on Satisfaction with Physical Education in Secondary School Education: Mediation of Teacher Strategies in Maintaining Discipline

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the mediating role of strategies to maintain classroom discipline between the motivational climate generated by the teacher and the students’ satisfaction with physical education classes. The research design was observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-randomized. In total, 2147 secondary school physical education students participated (Mage = 15.05; SD = 1.45) (male = 1050; female = 1097). A structural equation model was calculated with latent variables controlled by the teacher’s sex and time of service and using the scales of the motivational climate, the teacher’s strategies for maintaining classroom discipline, and the students’ satisfaction with physical education classes. The results from the model highlight the importance of intrinsic strategies in maintaining discipline; these act as a mediator between the motivational climate towards learning and the students’ satisfaction with physical education classes. In addition, the findings reveal the influence of a performance-oriented climate in predicting boredom in a class when the teacher shows an indifference towards maintaining discipline.