Effects of task-based teaching on middle school students' motivation in physical education: a quasi-experimental study based on self-determination theory.

This study adopted self-determination theory as the theoretical framework and used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of task-based teaching on middle school students' basic psychological needs satisfaction and motivation in basketball learning. A total of 102 eighth-grade students from a junior high school in Qingdao were randomly assigned to a task-based teaching group, a traditional teaching group, and a blank control group, with a 6-week teaching intervention. Results showed that task-based teaching significantly improved students' autonomy, competence, and relatedness (all large effects). It also significantly enhanced intrinsic motivation and identified regulation while reducing amotivation, leading to a more adaptive motivational profile. Correlational analyses indicated that autonomy was the core predictor of motivational internalization and reduced amotivation. These findings confirm that task-based teaching effectively enhances the quality of students' motivation in physical education by satisfying basic psychological needs, with no significant gender differences.