The premises, evidence, and application of the Trans-Contextual Model in multiple physical activity and health contexts

Abstract

Education plays an essential role on individuals’ health behaviours, including physical activity. It is therefore important that students not only perform physical activity during physical education (PE) lessons, but they also apply what they learn in-school and undertake leisure-time physical activity in out-of-school contexts. Researchers and educators seek to understand how PE teachers may promote students’ development of adaptive motivation of PE in-school and facilitate the transfer into motivation of leisure-time physical activity in out-of-school context. In response to this line of inquiries, the trans-contextual model integrates concepts from the self-determination theory, theory of planned behaviour, and the hierarchical model of motivation, and provides a comprehensive framework to explain the process by which PE teachers’ autonomy support affects students’ autonomous motivation of PE in-school, as well as autonomous motivation, intention, and behavioural adherence to undertake leisure-time physical activity in out-of-school context. Now it has been over a decade of research since its initial test, the trans-contextual model has receiving increasing amount of support and attention from multiple countries and health contexts. This symposium will present the tenets and premises of the model, together with the cutting edge research that applies that model into physical activity promotion and other health behaviours (e.g., sport injury prevention, healthy diet). A systematic review and meta-analysis will conclude the overall effect, limitations, and future directions of the trans-contextual model.