Physical activity during education outside the classroom and its associations with pupils’ psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic school motivation: A cross-sectional study

Pupils’ physical activity (PA) and motivation for learning decline through the school years, prompting interest in approaches that sustain engagement while supporting psychological and physical health. Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has been associated with higher intrinsic motivation and PA. However, it remains unclear whether improvements in motivation for school during EOtC associate with observed PA levels. This study examined whether PA moderated the relationship between EOtC, psychological need satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation in a within-subjects observational study of the MOVEOUT intervention group. Measures were collected across two usual and two EOtC school days. PA was assessed using wrist-worn accelerometers. Psychological need satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness was measured using the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, and the Psychological Need States in Sport Scale, while intrinsic motivation used items from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. The analytical sample comprised 177 Danish pupils (10-14 years) from 10 schools. Associations were analysed with linear mixed-effects models. No evidence was found that PA moderated associations between EOtC, intrinsic motivation, or psychological need satisfaction. However, EOtC was positively associated with feelings of competence, relatedness, intrinsic motivation, reduced sedentary behaviour, and higher PA levels. Sedentary behaviour was negatively associated with autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation, whereas light PA was positively associated with the same constructs. Overall, EOtC appears to provide a more psychologically needs-supportive, intrinsically motivating, and physically active learning context than conventional teaching, warranting further hypothesis-driven research into its potential role in promoting active and motivating school days.