Author(s): DE GUISE, A., GIRARD, S., DESBIENS, J.F., Institution: UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 787

Introduction. Pupils’ motivation in physical education (PE) is a key concern, particularly given the low level of physical activity among youth. The initial training of PE teachers represents a critical opportunity to prepare them with evidence-based motivational strategies that can sustain pupils’ engagement and well-being in PE, but also create a psychologically safe and supportive environment that encourages sustained participation in physical activity. Grounded in the principles of an empowering motivational climate and with a view to understand how supporting pupils’ motivation is addressed during PE teachers’ initial training, this study aimed: 1) to identify the motivational strategies that are explicitly or implicitly taught in pedagogical courses, and 2) to explore how university teacher educators perceive the place of pupils’ motivation’s support within their teaching practices. Methods. To this end, four university teacher educators took part in the study (two in fall 2024 and two in winter 2025). To meet the first objective, each teacher educators was video-taped during three university classes (approximately 3 hours per class). The motivational strategies they addressed were identified according to a list of empowering motivational strategies. To meet the second objective, individual interviews were conducted using a clinical objectivation protocol. Segments from the recorded classes, where motivational strategies were addressed, were presented to university teacher educators. They were then invited to reflect on and comment upon their own practices. Results. Preliminary results suggest that university teacher educators frequently refer to empowering motivational strategies, mainly those related to supporting pre-service teachers’ need for autonomy and competence. However, these strategies are often addressed implicitly, with little explicit intent to influence pupils’ motivation and engagement. During the interviews, when university teacher educators were invited to reflect on selected teaching sequences, some reported becoming more aware of the motivational potential for pupils of their teaching practices. Essentially, the reflective process sometimes helped them articulate connections between the strategies they taught and their possible effects on pupils’ motivation. Discussion. The results of this study suggest that, despite the central role of motivation for pupils in initial PE teacher education, university teacher educators experience difficulties in making explicit links between the content they teach and how it supports pupils’ engagement and motivation. The findings also indicate that this lack of explicitness may be explained by difficulties in articulating motivational theoretical concepts within the content they teach. This points to a need to strengthen support for university teacher educators to better integrate motivational frameworks and help pre-service teachers understand the usefulness of the concepts they learn.