Front Psychol. 2026 Aug 12;17:1861330. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1861330. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
Physical education assessments that count toward university admission or course grades typically measure only a student’s fitness at a single time point, overlooking incremental progress and thus providing little incentive for those with lower baseline performance. This study evaluated the feasibility of a multidimensional scoring method that captures changes in standing long jump performance, an indicator of lower-limb explosive power and better reflects student learning. This study had two phases. Phase 1 combined a two-round Delphi process, AHP weighting, and standing long jump data from 211 classes (N = 4,109) to develop the multidimensional evaluation model. Phase 2 is a quasi-experimental study where 4 year 1-2 university classes was randomly selected and assigned to the intervention (IG) and control group (CG). Learning motivation was measured using the college student version of the Work Preference Inventory. Difference-in-difference model was used to analyze the association between motivation and standing long jump distance (post-pre) between IG and CG. Both IG and CG showed significant improvements in both standing long jump and motivation, with IG having significantly better outcomes. The time interaction between the groups confirmed the statistical significance. The OLS regression results showed both internal motivation (p < 0.001) and external motivation (p < 0.001) had significant positive relationship. Both boys’ (p < 0.001) and girls’ (p = 0.029) showed significant improvement. These findings suggest that a multidimensional, progress-sensitive scoring system can enhance students’ motivation and foster positive behavioral change in physical education.
PMID:42656224 | PMC:PMC13506395 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1861330
