The Relationships among Middle School Students` Approach-Avoidance Temperaments, Emotion, and Engagement in Physical Education Classes
Purpose: This study examined the moderated mediation effect of self-efficacy in the relationships among students' temperament, emotion, and class engagement in physical education settings. Methods: Middle school students (N=407, 226 males, 181 females) completed measures of approach and avoidance temperament, negative and positive emotions, self-efficacy, and engagement in class. Results: The result of multiple regression analysis showed that positive and negative emotions partially mediated the relationship between approach temperament and engagement in class. The mediating effect of negative emotions in the relationship between avoidance temperament and engagement in class were moderated by students' self-efficacy. More specially, students with high self-efficacy protected from the detrimental impact of avoidance temperament on engagement, compared students with low self-efficacy. Conclusion: These findings suggest that students' level of self-efficacy lead a more adaptive emotional and behavioral outcomes in physical education settings.