Differential roles of confidence and competence in the association between understanding and enjoyment of physical activity: developmental and demographic moderators in children and adolescents.
Vernon T, Gregory M, et al. • Frontiers in public health • 2026
Understanding of physical activity benefits was indirectly associated with enjoyment through both confidence and competence, with confidence the stronger mediator across the full sample and most subgroups, though these patterns varied across school settings, physical activity level, and ethnicity.
Key Findings
Results
Understanding of physical activity benefits was indirectly associated with enjoyment through both confidence and competence, with both indirect effects being statistically significant.
A cross-sectional survey was completed by 637 pupils aged 8-16 years from five schools across England.
Path analysis model tested whether confidence and competence mediated the association between understanding and enjoyment.
Both the confidence-mediated and competence-mediated indirect effects were statistically significant across the full sample.
Enjoyment, confidence, competence, and understanding of PA were each assessed using a single-item measure, administered alongside the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C).
Results
Confidence was the stronger mediator between understanding and enjoyment across the full sample and for most subgroups.
The relative contribution of confidence was dominant over competence in the full-sample path analysis model.
Confidence remained the dominant mediator across most demographic subgroups examined.
Multi-group structural equation modeling was used to examine moderation of these mediation patterns.
Results
The relative contribution of confidence and competence as mediators shifted across school settings.
Confidence was the dominant mediator in secondary and special school settings.
In primary school settings, the two pathways (confidence and competence) did not differ reliably from each other.
Moderation analyses indicated that patterns varied across school setting.
Schools included in the study were located across England and represented different school types.
Results
Physical activity level moderated the mediation patterns, with active pupils showing stronger confidence-mediated associations than less active peers.
Active pupils showed stronger confidence-mediated associations than less active peers.
Moderation by physical activity level was identified in multi-group structural equation modeling analyses.
Physical activity level was assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C).
Results
Apparent differences in mediation patterns across ethnic groups were largely attributable to school composition rather than ethnicity per se.
Moderation analyses indicated that patterns varied across ethnicity.
Subgroup analyses were treated as exploratory.
The apparent ethnic group differences were largely attributable to school composition, suggesting a confounding effect of school-level variables.
Results
Gender and SEN status did not moderate the mediation patterns between understanding, confidence, competence, and enjoyment.
Moderation analyses found no reliable variation in patterns across gender or SEN status.
Multi-group structural equation modeling was used to test these moderation effects.
SEN status was included as a demographic variable in the multi-group analyses.
Subgroup analyses were treated as exploratory.
Methods
The study used a cross-sectional design with single-item measures for key constructs among 637 pupils aged 8-16 years from five schools in England.
Sample size was 637 pupils aged 8-16 years.
Data were collected from five schools across England.
Design was cross-sectional, precluding causal inference.
Enjoyment, confidence, competence, and understanding were each assessed using a single-item measure.
The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) was administered alongside the single-item measures.
What This Means
This research suggests that when children and adolescents understand why physical activity is beneficial, they are more likely to enjoy it — but this connection works indirectly, through how confident and how competent they feel in physical activity. The study surveyed 637 students aged 8 to 16 across five schools in England and found that feeling confident was generally a stronger link in this chain than feeling competent, though both pathways mattered. These patterns were not the same for everyone: in secondary schools, confidence was clearly the dominant factor, while in primary schools, confidence and competence appeared to contribute more equally. Students who were already more physically active showed a particularly strong confidence-related pathway compared to less active students. Differences that appeared across ethnic groups were largely explained by which schools those students attended, rather than ethnicity itself.
This research contributes to our understanding of the psychological factors that make physical activity enjoyable for young people, drawing on frameworks like self-determination theory and physical literacy. The findings suggest that simply teaching children about the health benefits of exercise may not be enough on its own — what matters is how that knowledge connects to their feelings of confidence and capability. Importantly, the study notes that these findings come from a single point-in-time survey, so they reflect associations rather than proven cause-and-effect relationships, and the practical implications about prioritizing confidence-building in secondary settings or competence-building in primary settings are suggestions informed by these associations rather than demonstrated intervention effects. The authors also highlight the importance of inclusive and culturally responsive approaches to physical education throughout all school settings.
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Vernon T, Gregory M, Bonner S, Goldsmith S, Turnbull O. (2026). Differential roles of confidence and competence in the association between understanding and enjoyment of physical activity: developmental and demographic moderators in children and adolescents.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1875229