{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T05:18:19Z","timestamp":1787807899619,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Traditional gamification in physical education (PE) often creates a needs gap. This study examines the associations of Xingfa Teaching Of Physical Education (XFTPE) with students' internalized motivation and physical fitness. It is a structured, three-stage progression aligned with Self-Determination Theory.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional, comparative design was employed, involving 1,400 primary school students (grades 4\u20136) from 14 schools. Seven schools implemented XFTPE, while seven used traditional PE. Participants completed the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS-6) and the National Physical Fitness Test. Data were analyzed using Linear Mixed-Effects Models and Pearson correlation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Students in XFTPE schools reported significantly higher levels of internalized sport motivation (\n                      <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 5.01, SD = 0.71) compared to those in traditional schools (\n                      <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 4.63, SD = 0.67) (\n                      <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.37,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001,\n                      <jats:italic>d<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.26). Internalized motivation was positively correlated with physical fitness scores (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.595,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001). Additionally, XFTPE students exhibited higher physical fitness scores (\n                      <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 1.44,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.005), although the effect size was small (\n                      <jats:italic>d<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.07).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings indicate an association between the XFTPE approach and higher internalized motivation. The difference in effect sizes between motivational and fitness outcomes underscores the distinction between psychological correlates and physiological adaptation, highlighting the necessity for longitudinal designs in future research.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1904485","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T04:27:39Z","timestamp":1787804859000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Associations of the Xingfa gamification framework with students' sport motivation and physical fitness: a cross-sectional comparison across 14 schools"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Ye-Jun","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Research, Hunan Institute of Technology","place":["Hengyang, China"]},{"name":"Digital Research Institute, China National Academy of Educational Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University","place":["Changsha, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiang-Li","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Finance and Economics, Hunan University of Technology and Business","place":["Changsha, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1017\/aee.2022.37","article-title":"Connecting children to nature through the integration of indigenous ecological knowledge into early childhood environmental education","volume":"39","author":"Acharibasam","year":"2023","journal-title":"Aust J Environ Educ."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.34293\/sijash.v13i1.9009","article-title":"Social and cultural changes and their effects on physical activity and wellbeing","volume":"13","author":"Arsapakdee","year":"2025","journal-title":"Shanlax Int J Arts Sci Humanities."},{"key":"B3","article-title":"\u201cCreaci\u00f3n de un entorno de aprendizaje gamificado inspirado en La Casa de Papel,\u201d","author":"Arufe-Gir\u00e1ldez","year":"2021","journal-title":"Metodolog\u00edas Activas En La Pr\u00e1ctica De La Educaci\u00f3n F\u00edsica Madrid"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"540","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci12080540","article-title":"Gamification in physical education: a systematic review","volume":"12","author":"Arufe-Gir\u00e1ldez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Educ Sci."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"864","DOI":"10.1037\/edu0000250","article-title":"The role of situational interest in personalized learning","volume":"110","author":"Bernacki","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Educ Psychol."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1080\/03004430.2019.1653548","article-title":"Values stop play? 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