Assessment and Motivation: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Performance Grading, Goal Clarification and Process Feedback in Physical Education

Assessment with a focus on setting clear goals and providing process feedback have the potential to contribute to secondary school students’ motivational functioning. In contrast, traditional assessments such as performance grading often negatively affects students’ interest and love of learning (i.e., autonomous motivation). Yet, the potential of setting clear goals and providing process feedback is not fully realised in physical education (PE) lessons, as students are often ill-informed about PE goals and unaware about what PE assessment is based on. Therefore, this dissertation addressed the main question “How are performance grading, as well as goal clarification and process feedback, related to students’ motivational functioning and fear during PE?”. The research presented in this dissertation provides a more differentiated image of how performance grading is associated with students’ motivational functioning and fear. There was no unequivocal evidence that performance grading by itself is detrimental for students’ need satisfaction and frustration, quality of motivation and students’ feelings of fear in PE. Further, the motivating potential of assessment in PE can indeed be augmented by clarifying goals and providing process feedback. Goals impacted students’ motivation positively through students’ need satisfaction, whereas performance grading impacted students’ motivation and fear negatively through increased need frustration and decreased need satisfaction. Notably, the presented research indicates that perceived goal clarification and process feedback, as well as students’ motivational functioning, vary from lesson to lesson. This variability in perceived goal clarification and process feedback explained variability in students’ need satisfaction and frustration, suggesting that teachers can affect students’ need satisfaction and frustration every lesson again. Results from this dissertation are translated into four practical recommendations, by which I hope to inspire educators and teacher-educators to engage in more motivating assessment of student performance in PE.