MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: CORRELATES BETWEEN STUDENTS' AND THEIR TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS

This study compares students' and teachers' perceptions of motivational climate in Spanish physical education classes. The participants 2189 students ages 13 to 17 and 94 teachers completed a Spanish translation of the survey entitled L'Echelle de Perception du Climat Motivational (EPCM). A first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) reported support for the original factor structure. An analysis of the agreement between students' and teachers' perceptions of the motivational climate in class showed that they only coincided in the Pursuit of Comparison by students factor. On the other hand, the differential analyses showed that students perceived a higher Performance Climate, whereas the teachers perceived a higher Mastery Climate in physical education classes. The implications for physical education teachers are discussed.