The Mediating Role of Student Engagement in the Relationship Between Teacher Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Physical Performance Among Physical Education Student

Abstract

In recent years, the physical fitness of university students has declined, prompting China to promote the digital transformation of education. Although the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has been shown to improve instructional effectiveness, how teachers’ digital competence translates into students’ physical performance remains insufficiently understood. This study examined the relationships among teacher TPACK, student engagement, and physical performance among undergraduate physical education (PE) students in China. It also tested the mediating role of student engagement based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) model, which explains how external stimuli influence internal states and lead to observable outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2025 and January 2026 with 872 PE undergraduates from four universities in Guangdong Province, China. Teacher TPACK, student engagement, and physical performance were measured using validated instruments. Structural equation modeling (Smart PLS 4) was used to examine both direct and mediating effects. Teacher TPACK significantly predicted student engagement (β = 0.780, p < 0.001) and physical performance (β = 0.337, p < 0.001). Student engagement also had a positive effect on physical performance (β = 0.321, p < 0.001) and partially mediated the relationship between TPACK and physical performance (β = 0.250, p < 0.001). The model explained 60.8% of the variance in student engagement and 38.6% of the variance in physical performance. Teacher TPACK enhances student engagement and physical performance, supporting the applicability of the S–O–R model in physical education contexts.