Relationships between physical activity, general self-efficacy, sport motivation and physical self-concept among primary school students.

INTRODUCTION

Physical activity is fundamental to children's physical and psychological development, yet the psychological correlates of the association between physical activity and physical self-concept remain incompletely understood. This study examined associations among self-reported physical activity, general self-efficacy, positive sport-participation motivation, and physical self-concept in Chinese primary school students and tested a theory-informed serial indirect model of cross-sectional associations.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 782 students in Dunhua, Jilin Province, China, using a study-specific adapted composite questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and Hayes' PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were used to examine the specified indirect associations, controlling for gender, grade, parental education, and parental companionship in physical activity.

RESULTS

Self-reported physical activity was positively associated with physical self-concept (r = 0.442, p < 0.001). Significant indirect associations were observed via general self-efficacy (standardized indirect estimate = 0.109, 95% CI = 0.079-0.141) and positive sport-participation motivation (standardized indirect estimate = 0.058, 95% CI = 0.035-0.084), together with a serial indirect association involving both variables (standardized serial indirect estimate = 0.031, 95% CI = 0.019-0.045).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that general self-efficacy and positive sport-participation motivation are related to the cross-sectional association between self-reported physical activity and physical self-concept in primary school students. Given the cross-sectional design, the reported indirect estimates should be interpreted as statistical indirect associations rather than as evidence of temporal ordering or causal mechanisms.