Influence of Physical Literacy and Motivation on Engagement in Physical Activities Towards Health and Fitness Subject

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of physical literacy and motivation on physical activity involvement of Physical Activity Towards Health and Fitness (PATHFIT) students in Davao de Oro, Philippines, in college students. The study used a quantitative, non-experimental correlational design, anchored on Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002) and the student engagement framework of Fredricks et al. (2003). A total of 363 students in 3 higher education institutions were randomly selected for the study across the 2 PATHFIT courses (PATHFIT 2 and PATHFIT 4). Validated and adapted questionnaires were used to gather data regarding physical literacy, physical activity motivation and engagement. The data was analyzed by the mean, Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. Students had a high level of physical literacy (M = 4.14), very high level of motivation (M = 4.27) and high level of engagement in physical activities (M = 4.11). Physical literacy and physical motivation were both significantly related to engagement. Physical literacy accounted for 52.8% of the variance in engagement, with understanding being the strongest domain (β = 0.432). The variance explained by motivation was 64.9%, which was more than the variance explained by the other factors. In terms of all dimensions, intrinsic motivation proved to be the most significant factor for engagement in physical activities (β = 0.427, p < .001). Results indicated that enjoyment, interest, and internal satisfaction were the most important factors that maintained students' active involvement with PATHFIT and encouraged lifelong health and fitness.