Self-efficacy represents a central motivational mechanism through which students interpret learning demands, regulate effort, and sustain engagement in challenging academic contexts. In physical education, the role of self-efficacy may be particularly important because learning involves simultaneous cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and performance-related demands. This conceptual research paper develops a literature-grounded model explaining how perceived teacher autonomy support may influence students’ deep learning through self-efficacy. The analysis synthesizes the provided literature concerning self-efficacy, autonomy support, motivation, engagement, cognitive processes, and physical education. The proposed model positions teacher autonomy support as an environmental antecedent, self-efficacy as a mediating motivational mechanism, and deep learning as the principal learning outcome. The literature indicates that autonomy-supportive environments can encourage student agency, competence, participation, and higher-order engagement, while self-efficacy provides an explanatory pathway connecting supportive instructional conditions with students’ willingness to invest effort in complex learning. The analysis further suggests that deep learning should not be treated simply as increased participation; rather, it reflects meaningful cognitive processing, integration, reflection, and application. The resulting framework contributes a theoretically coherent explanation of why autonomy-supportive physical education environments may produce stronger learning outcomes when they simultaneously strengthen students’ confidence in their ability to learn and perform. Because the present study does not contain an original student dataset, its findings are analytical and conceptual rather than statistical. Future empirical research should test the proposed mediation model using validated measures and longitudinal or experimental designs.
Modeling Self-Efficacy Pathways Between Teacher Autonomy Support and Deep Learning in Physical Education
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