The mediating role of supporting learning authority in the relationship between physical education teachers' authentic learning preparation and their authentic assessment-assessment attitudes

The aim of this study is to find out whether the thoughts and sub-dimensions of the scale (emotion and thought support, support for learning process and evaluation support) regarding the need for and displaying learner autonomy support behaviors as necessary in the relationship between physical education teachers' readiness for authentic learning and their attitudes towards authentic assessment methods. The sample of the study consists of 372 physical education teachers (140 female and 233 male) who work in secondary and high school state schools in Mersin province and its districts in the 2022-2023 education period with the stratified sampling method. "Personal Information Form", "Authentic Learning Readiness Scale", "Attitude Scale towards Authentic Assessment and Evaluation Methods" and "Learner Autonomy Support Scale" were used as data collection tools in the research. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, Hierarchical Regression analysis and Sobel Test were used in the analysis of the data in the study in which the relational scanning model was used. The margin of error is taken as 0.05. According to the results of the research, it was found that physical education teachers' levels of considering and exhibiting the behaviors of supporting learner autonomy have a partial mediating role in the relationship between their authentic learning readiness level and their attitudes towards authentic assessment and evaluation methods. In the sub-dimensions of the scale, the emotion and thought support part has a mediating role; it was concluded that the learning process support and assessment support scale sub-dimensions did not have a mediating role. As a result, in explaining the effect of physical education teachers' authentic learning readiness levels on their attitudes towards authentic assessment and evaluation methods, the level of considering and exhibiting the autonomy support behaviors provided to students is a helpful variable. It is important for physical education teachers to plan and support the process with practices that make students autonomous in lesson practices.