Experienced facilitators and challenges of practising motivational interaction: How can pre-service physical education teachers adopt more motivational behaviours?

Objectives: Health promotion professionals can contribute to high-quality motivation and sustained health behaviours, for example, physical activity (PA), using motivational interaction with their target groups. However, evidence shows that even after comprehensive training, professionals do not optimally adopt motivational counselling styles. To improve efforts to help professionals take up and sustain motivational interaction in their practice, we need a better understanding of influences on practising these styles. This study set out to investigate pre-service physical education (PE) teachers' experienced facilitators and challenges of practising motivational interaction. Design: After a training course that aimed to teach pre-service PE teachers the basic ideas and practical techniques of motivational interaction, 19 participants were interviewed. Methods: Inductive content analysis was employed to investigate semi-structured interviews. Results: We developed three categories each including both facilitators and challenges of practising motivational interaction: (1) own style of interaction functioned as a basis for practising and involved (a) confidence in skills and resources as well as (b) reflecting, overcoming and forming habits, (2) regulation of one's own behaviour: autonomy and responsibility involved the freedom to choose and plan how to practise but also bearing responsibility for it, and (3) pursuing authentic interaction related to the search for natural ways to use motivational interaction with others. Conclusions: We provide suggestions on how future training can make use of this knowledge and systematically make use of behaviour change science to foster practising motivational interaction, for example, using self-regulation strategies and habit-forming/breaking skills.