The Influence of Perceived Teacher-Student Congruence on Students’ Satisfaction in Physical Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980) to physical education (PE) classes, for measuring teacher behavior by taking consideration of the perspectives of students and teachers. We moreover examined the influence of teacher behavior and the perceived teacher-student congruence on the satisfaction of students. Two cross-sectional studies, an online survey with PE teachers and a school study where students responded to a questionnaire assessing students’ perception and the preferred teacher behavior and teachers fill in a self-description form regarding their own behavior. Participants for study 1 were 527 PE teachers (254 females and 273 males), aged 21-64 years (M= 42.11; SD = 11.21). Participants in study 2 were 1452 students (625 females, 798 males and 29 unstated), aged 9-17 years (M = 13.31; SD = 1.49) and 18 PE teachers (8 females and 10 males), age 28-60 years (M= 49.87; SD = 14.99). Confirmatory factor analysis and the reliability coefficients supported the view that the LSS is adequate for usage in PE. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that teacher behavior influences the satisfaction of students. Moreover, perceived teacher-student congruence had a positive effect on students’ satisfaction. The findings support the assumption that the LSS is a suitable instrument for an application in PE. Teachers should be concerned with their students’ perception of their preferred teaching behavior in order to adapt to their needs and to foster their satisfaction with, and interest in, PE.