Students' acceptance of digital media in physical education—a cross-sectional study

Background The use of digital media (DM) in physical education (PE) is increasing. However, students' acceptance of DM in PE is unclear. The Organismic Integration Theory as part of the Self-Determination Theory serves as a theoretical framework to discuss students' acceptance. Objective The study aims are 1) to determine the strength of students' acceptance of DM use, 2) to analyze differences in acceptance of different types of DM use, and 3) to identify predictors of DM acceptance in PE. Methods A cross-sectional study with 291 German secondary students (female = 153; male = 138; M age = 15.78 years, SD = 1.13) was conducted. The data were collected with an online-questionnaire consisting of demographic data, DM usage during leisure time and at school, usage intention for different types of DM use, behavioral regulation regarding future DM use, and barriers/reasons against DM use in PE. Results 1) Descriptive analysis of the strength of acceptance showed moderate DM use intention for instruction, feedback, organization, and knowledge transfer as well as high usage intention for entertainment. 2) An analysis of variance indicated significant differences in the acceptance of the different types of DM use ( η p 2 = .023 ), with the covariates of age ( η p 2 = .017 ) and gender ( η p 2 = .025 ) playing a role in some types of DM use. 3) In a multiple linear regression explaining 51% of the variance, identified regulation (i.e., usefulness) (ß = .34) and intrinsic motivation (i.e., enjoyment) (ß = .26) were identified as positive predictors of DM acceptance, whereas introjected regulation (i.e., social norms/expectations) (ß = −.11) and amotivation (i.e., meaninglessness) (ß = −.16) were negative predictors. Conclusion Overall, students' acceptance of the different types of DM use in PE was moderate. Only entertainment showed a strong acceptance probably due to the students' previous experiences. In line with previous technology acceptance research in educational contexts, usefulness and enjoyment were found to be relevant predictors of DM acceptance. The differences in acceptance of different types of DM use in PE and the relevance of usefulness and enjoyment, should be considered by PE teachers for the successful integration of DM. Future research should investigate differences in DM acceptance in other populations (e.g., primary education), and longitudinal studies are needed to examine causal effects.