Author(s): NG, S., Institution: THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 115

INTRODUCTION:
University physical education (PE) courses offer a critical opportunity to promote lifelong physical activity (PA), particularly as PA levels decline during young adulthood. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, this study posits that students' immediate affective experiences upon completing the course are pivotal in shaping their subsequent motivation. Specifically, the research investigates whether these post-course affective responses serve as meaningful and proximal predictors of intentions to maintain physical activity beyond the mandate, thereby addressing the crucial question of how an educational mandate can be transformed into sustained voluntary engagement.
METHODS:
Undergraduates (N=660; 57.6% female) from a mandatory racket sports course in Hong Kong provided three words describing their immediate post-class feelings and reported their PA intentions. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we analyzed 1,721 affective words through both sentiment analysis and thematic coding, identifying eight core affective categories. Quantitative analyses using chi-square tests examined associations between these thematic categories and intention to continue the sport.
RESULTS:
Analysis of affective data revealed a significantly positive overall sentiment following course completion (M = 0.52 ± 0.53). Thematic categorization identified eight core experiential domains. Quantitative testing demonstrated statistically significant and meaningful associations for specific themes. Students whose responses were coded under Achievement & Competence (χ² = 8.51, p = .004) or Intrinsic Enjoyment & Positive Affect (χ² = 22.27, p < .001) reported substantially higher intentions to continue the sport, with continuation rates of 89.1% and 75.1%, respectively. Conversely, responses characterized by Negative Evaluation (χ² = 8.11, p = .004) or certain descriptors within the Physical Sensation & Embodiment theme (χ² = 10.49, p = .001) were associated with significantly lower continuation intentions (57.3% and 64.9%). No significant associations were found for themes related to Psychological Well-being, Social Connection, Autonomy & Motivation, or Ambivalent/Neutral responses. Furthermore, supplementary analysis confirmed no statistically significant gender difference in continuation intention (χ² = 1.281, p = .258), indicating that the predictive power of affective themes was consistent across male and female students.
CONCLUSION:
Immediate post-course affective responses—particularly achievement and intrinsic enjoyment—serve as potent predictors of future PA intentions. These findings show that final required PE courses, when designed to foster competence and generate positive subjective experiences, can successfully facilitate the transition from mandatory participation to self-sustained motivation for physical activity. Curriculum design should therefore prioritize creating mastery-oriented environments that elicit these key affective outcomes to maximize long-term public health impact.