Physical Education (PE) teachers hold a pivotal role in guiding students through their learning process. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), teachers' (de)motivating style, referred to as "the interpersonal sentiment and behaviour that teachers rely on during instruction to motivate students to engage in and benefit from learning activities", is a crucial element in the teaching process. Recent research suggests that PE teachers employ a diverse array of teaching behaviours in their educational practice. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness-supportive teaching behaviours (i.e., need-supportive teaching behaviours) have been positively related to students' autonomous motivation and adaptive outcomes in PE, while the opposite is true for autonomy, competence, and relatedness-thwarting behaviours (i.e. need-thwarting behaviours). Consequently, continuous development teaching (CDT) programs, based on SDT, has increased in the last years. These SDT-training programs, mainly focused on autonomy-supportive strategies, revealed positive effects on students' perceptions of (de)motivating teaching behaviours and motivational outcomes. Over the past decade, SDT-training programs have also demonstrated positive effects on teachers' self-perceptions of certain antecedents, support for autonomy and structure, and various motivational and (mal)adaptive outcomes \[6\]. However, additional research is required, as most studies have not focused on reducing need-thwarting behaviours.
Recently, grounded in SDT, the circumplex model offers a detailed view of the different (de)motivating teaching styles (i.e., autonomy support, structure, control, and chaos) that teachers can adopt in their classes. This circumplex model delineates eight teaching approaches across these four teaching styles. To develop the most effective interventions, it is crucial for researchers to understand the effectiveness of motivational training programs, not only in terms of the four (de)motivating teaching styles but also across the eight specific teaching approaches. Yet, no existing motivational training programs have incorporated this new circumplex approach. This mixed-method study sets out to expand existing knowledge by describing a protocol for a motivational training program based on the circumplex model, aimed at enhancing (de)motivating teaching styles, as well as (mal)adaptive outcomes among PE teachers and their students.
