Students' Perceptions of Support from Teachers and Competence in Three Contexts with Different Summative Assessment Procedures in Physical Education (PE)

The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of different summative assessment procedures (certification grade, non-certification grade, no grade) in physical education (PE) on two psychological variables related to the learning process: perceived support from the teacher and perceived competence in physical activity. A total of 3,296 students, aged 12 to 18, were surveyed via questionnaire. MANOVA and ANOVA were carried out. Results showed that, when no grade was given, students felt that they received more support from the teacher. Moreover there were fewer differences between boys and girls in perception of support from the teacher and in perceived competence in PE. Assessment procedure (grade or no grade) seems to have an effect on variables related to the learning process. This deserves further investigation.