This study targeted Chinese university students and aimed to identify how their motivation to participate in Tai Chi courses is associated with exercise continuation intention through the sequential mediation of participation satisfaction and psycholo...
This study targeted Chinese university students and aimed to identify how their motivation to participate in Tai Chi courses is associated with exercise continuation intention through the sequential mediation of participation satisfaction and psychological well-being within a cross-sectional structural framework. In consideration of the reality that university students’ motivation to participate in physical education courses is generally insufficient, this study conducted stratified sampling with 538 students who had taken Tai Chi courses at universities located in five provinces of China. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the bootstrapping (Bootstrap) technique were applied to verify the statistical relationships among variables in the model of “participation motivation → participation satisfaction → psychological well-being → continuation intention.” All core psychological measurement tools used in this study passed reliability and validity tests, and the model fit indices indicated that the measurement model and the overall structural model demonstrated good fit. According to the research findings, all nine hypotheses established in this study were supported. First, regarding the direct paths, participation motivation showed significant positive correlations with participation satisfaction, psychological well-being, and continuation intention, respectively, and participation satisfaction exhibited significant positive associations with psychological well-being and continuation intention. Psychological well-being also showed a significant positive correlation with continuation intention. Second, in terms of parallel mediation paths, participation motivation demonstrated significant indirect associations with continuation intention through participation satisfaction and psychological well-being as independent mediators, confirming that the two variables function as parallel mediating pathways. Third, regarding sequential (serial) mediation, participation motivation showed a significant indirect association with continuation intention through the sequential pathway of “participation satisfaction → psychological well-being,” supporting the statistical significance of the serial mediation route. With respect to differences between demographic characteristics and major psychological variables, independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA results showed that gender, major, age, academic year, learning duration, learning frequency, and learning time exhibited significant differences in participation motivation, participation satisfaction, psychological well-being, and continuation intention. Female groups, social-science-related major groups, and groups with higher participation frequency and longer learning time showed higher levels across the variables, and different patterns of group differences were also observed in post-hoc analyses. According to the research conclusions, participation motivation not only has a significant direct association with continuation intention but also forms multilayered statistical associations with continuation intention through the parallel and sequential mediation pathways of participation satisfaction and psychological well-being. These findings support the psychological mechanism (framework) of participation motivation and empirically verify the theoretical model in which Tai Chi courses form continuous participation intention through the pathway of “participation motivation–participation satisfaction– psychological well-being–continuation intention” within a cross-sectional structure. Theoretically, this study expands the understanding of the “motivation–sustained behavioral tendency” relationship in the field of sports education by incorporating psychological well-being into the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). From a practical perspective, the findings provide useful evidence for universities to integrate Tai Chi courses into a sustainable physical education system and to enhance students’ well-being and continuous participation intention through culturally resonant teaching and learning methods. Future research needs to apply longitudinal research designs to track the long-term psychological effects of Tai Chi practice, and it is necessary to further explore the possibility that cultural identity or cultural identification functions as a potential mediating variable between motivation and continuation intention. If cultural factors are included in the path model, it is expected that the intrinsic mechanism through which Tai Chi, as a cultural medium, promotes continuous participation can be identified in a more comprehensive manner.