Influence of Teaching Styles on Motivation and Engagement in Pelvic Floor Proprioception Learning Among Sports Science Students

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This study examined how three teaching styles from Mosston’s Spectrum, command (Style A), reciprocal (Style C), and self-check (Style D), influence university students’ motivation, enjoyment, and perceived applicability when learning pelvic floor proprioception in Physical Education (PE). Sixty-three Sports Sciences students participated in a three-week quasi-experimental intervention applying the three styles in consecutive sessions. After each, students completed a validated questionnaire assessing implementation, enjoyment, motivation, and teaching ability. The reciprocal style (C), which promotes peer interaction and feedback, consistently received the highest ratings across affective dimensions, fostering engagement and psychological safety. The command style (A) showed strong implementation but lower enjoyment, while the self-check style (D) offered autonomy yet limited interaction. No gender differences were found. Overall, findings emphasize the value of student-centered, interactive approaches in PE teacher education (PETE), with the reciprocal style particularly effective for teaching sensitive proprioceptive content such as pelvic floor awareness.