Motivation and responsibility linked to active responses to bullying in physical education

Students who are more motivated to participate in physical education and who report greater personal and social responsibility are more likely to take an active role when they witness bullying or unfair treatment, according to a peer-reviewed study of more than 1,300 elementary and secondary school students aged 10 to 18. The study also found that students who had experienced bullying reported lower motivation toward physical education. Researchers from the Sport and Physical Education for Personal and Social Development research group at the University of Córdoba used a serial mediation model to examine whether personal and social responsibility helped explain the relationship between motivation and students’ responses as bystanders.

The participants completed measures assessing their experiences of bullying and witnessing bullying, their motivation toward physical education, and their personal and social responsibility. The analysis considered whether students responded actively or passively in bullying situations and tested motivation and responsibility as factors associated with those responses. Published in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy on 18 August 2026, the study was titled “Understanding bullying and motivation in physical education: a serial mediation model through personal and social responsibility.” Its results indicate an association: more motivated students also reported greater responsibility and were more likely to intervene actively, while students who had been bullied showed lower motivation toward the subject. The findings do not establish that motivation or responsibility causes students to confront bullying, or that bullying causes motivation to decline.

The authors argue that actively defending victims requires more than a general willingness to intervene. Students must perceive themselves as capable of acting and feel personally responsible for doing so. Against that background, the serial mediation model links motivation, personal and social responsibility, and bystander behavior in a way that may help explain why some students respond actively and others remain passive. The research group says the results provide evidence for intervention programs designed to address bullying in physical education and youth sport, including approaches that develop social responsibility alongside student motivation, peer relationships and the responses of witnesses. The study itself did not test whether such teaching models change behavior, improve safety or produce other educational benefits, so its findings should be understood as guidance for further program evaluation rather than as proof of an intervention’s effectiveness.

One example cited by the researchers is PrebullPE, a hands-on program that has already been brought into classrooms. It addresses identifying bullying, managing emotions and fostering social skills to support a better school climate. The current study did not evaluate PrebullPE’s effectiveness; instead, it identified motivation and responsibility as factors associated with how students respond to bullying situations. Rafael Clavero Prados, Javier Murillo Moraño, Rafael Zapata Lamana and Juan De Dios Benítez Sillero conducted the research, which used statistical data analysis to examine relationships among the reported measures. Physical education can provide opportunities for students to cooperate and compete, but it can also bring interaction, comparison and competition into settings where bullying occurs. The study therefore focuses attention on the behavior of witnesses, whose responses may either help stop unfair treatment or allow it to continue. By connecting motivation with personal and social responsibility, the analysis supports consideration of responsibility as part of broader bullying-prevention work in physical education, while leaving the effects of specific programs and interventions for subsequent research.

Subject of Research: Student motivation, responsibility and bystander responses to bullying in physical education

Article Title: Student motivation and responsibility shown to be key to tackling bullying in physical education

Article References: Student motivation and responsibility shown to be key to tackling bullying in physical education. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: school bullying, physical education, student motivation, social responsibility, bystander behavior, personal responsibility, peer relationships, school climate, social skills, youth sport, Student, motivation