Associations between students’ perceptions of teachers’ transformational leadership, enjoyment and boredom in physical education: the mediating role of prosocial climate and motor self-efficacy

Background Previous research has linked transformational leadership to students’ experiences of enjoyment and boredom in physical education (PE). However, evidence on the mediating role of classroom prosocial climate and motor self-efficacy remains limitedPurpose The aim of this study was to explore the associations between PE teachers’ transformational leadership and students’ enjoyment and boredom, analysing the mediating effect of prosocial climate and motor self-efficacy. Additionally, the study tested whether the proposed model was invariant across genderMethod A total of 392 adolescents (52.81% male, N = 207; 47.19% female, N = 185), aged between 14 and 16 years (M = 15.07; SD = .78), from secondary schools in the city of Málaga (Spain) participated in the study. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires, including the transformational teaching questionnaire, the school prosocial climate questionnaire, the motor self-efficacy scale, and the intrinsic satisfaction in sport instrument. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were conducted using maximum likelihood bootstrap estimation (10,000 samples) to test the overall and gender-specific models, applying standard fit indices (CFI, TLI, SRMR, RMSEA). A multigroup SEM analysis examined invariance across gender. Finally, a mediation model with two serial mediators was performedResults Statistically significant and positive relationships were observed among the studied constructs, Except for boredom, where the relationships were negative. A partial mediating effect of prosocial climate and motor self-efficacy was observed in the relationship between transformational leadership and enjoyment, whereas only prosocial climate mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and boredom. Furthermore, the multigroup analysis confirmed that the model demonstrated invariance across genderConclusions Students’ perceptions of teachers’ transformational leadership are associated with greater enjoyment and less boredom in PE through a positive prosocial classroom climate and, for enjoyment, also through higher levels of motor self-efficacy. Importantly, these associations remained consistent across boys and girls. Therefore, behaviours based on transformational leadership (encourages and inspires students, provides individual support, fosters critical thinking, acts as a positive role model, etc.) represent an effective and impactful teacher strategy for promoting participation and positive educational experiences in PE.