Physical education in Taiwan: When students begin to take control

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on self-regulated learning (SRL) of a physical education (PE) pedagogy based on Zimmerman’s (2000) model of SRL. Constructs from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and the Five Component Scale for Self-Regulation were used on an online survey platform pre and post an 8-week PE curriculum intervention in Taiwan. Participants were 632 Taiwanese students (aged 13.9 ±0.3 years; 28 PE classes) and a wait list control class (n = 21; aged 14.1 ±0.2 years). Multiple repeated measures ANOVAs were used to determine if there were significant differences pre to post intervention period and interaction effects between the intervention and the control class. Over time the intervention classes showed relatively small mean increases in enjoyment, perceived competence, intrinsic value, self-efficacy, cognitive strategy use, goal setting, strategy implementation and strategy monitoring. In contrast, eight out of the eleven factors for the control class showed relatively larger negative changes in scores. This data indicates that the benefits of adopting a self-regulated learning approach in PE lessons in Taiwan over an 8-week period appear to be more about the stability of these personal characteristics rather than the enhancement of them.