Physical literacy-focused fitness education is associated with physical fitness and literacy outcomes in adolescents

Physical literacy-focused fitness education integrates physical competence, motivation, knowledge, and active student engagement. Evidence from Indonesian senior high schools remains limited. This study compared physical fitness and self-reported physical literacy outcomes between two school contexts and examined the association between changes in these outcomes. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent comparison-group design involved 120 students aged 16–17 years. One school implemented a 12-week physical literacy-focused fitness education program, whereas the comparison school provided conventional Physical Education with the same scheduled duration and frequency. Physical fitness was measured using the Indonesian Physical Fitness Test (TKJI), and self-reported physical literacy was assessed using the Adolescent Physical Literacy Questionnaire (APLQ). Data were analyzed using MANCOVA and ANCOVA controlling for baseline scores, with supplementary analyses of gain scores and correlations. The intervention school showed higher adjusted posttest TKJI and APLQ scores than the comparison school. The multivariate group difference was significant (Wilks’ lambda = 0.103, p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.897); adjusted univariate differences were also significant for TKJI (partial eta squared = 0.838) and APLQ (partial eta squared = 0.765). Mean gains were larger in the intervention school for TKJI (6.55 vs. 0.55) and APLQ (19.33 vs. 2.77). Although pooled gain scores were strongly correlated, associations were near zero within groups and after controlling for group membership. Because one school represented each condition, group differences cannot be separated from school, teacher, and implementation-context factors. The findings provide preliminary evidence to guide future research and Physical Education development in Indonesia.