Nikolaos Digelidis

Scopus Publications

A longitudinal study of student attitudes towards physical education: Examining developmental trajectories, perceived benefits, and barriers across grades 7–12
Efstathia Evangelou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Charalambos Krommidas
European Physical Education Review, 2026
This longitudinal study examined changes in students’ attitudes towards physical education (PE) over three years across grades 7–12, investigating the predictive roles of perceived benefits and barriers, and satisfaction with school sports facilities, while exploring differences by gender and school level. Data were collected from 324 students (143 boys, 181 girls) across 13 schools in Athens, Greece, over three annual measurements, with participants divided into middle school (grades 7–9, n = 152) and high school (grades 10–12, n = 172) cohorts. Students completed validated measures assessing cognitive and affective attitudes towards PE, perceived benefits and barriers, and satisfaction with school sports facilities. Mixed-design multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant temporal changes for both cognitive and affective attitudes, with linear declining trends across measurement occasions. Middle school students showed a consistent decline in attitude, while high school students demonstrated different patterns based on gender, with a significant three-way interaction concerning cognitive attitudes. Between-subjects effects revealed school-level differences in cognitive attitudes and gender differences in both attitude types. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived benefits and barriers together explained 21–31% of the variance in Year 3 attitudes. For middle school students, perceived benefits emerged as the strongest predictor for both cognitive and affective attitudes. For high school students, perceived barriers dominated predictions for both attitude types. School sports facility satisfaction was not a significant predictor, except for high school students’ affective attitudes. Results suggest interventions should enhance perceived benefits during middle school while emphasising barrier reduction for high school students.
Effect of different teaching methods (reciprocal and shelf-check TS) on learning and performance of traditional Greek dance
Athina Pitsi, Nikolaos Digelidis, Filippos Filippou
Research in Dance Education, 2026
This study investigated the effect of reciprocal, self-check, and command TS on the learning and dance performance of Greek traditional dances. A total of 128 university students, were divided into three groups and taught six dances. The reciprocal experimental group, the self-check experimental group and the command control group. A two-way MANOVA indicated that in the Zonaradiko, Tsamiko and Pentozali dances, reciprocal and self-check TS scored higher (p < 0.05) than the command TS on individual criteria and overall performance. In the Xassapia and Tik-Double dances, only the criteria ‘dance recognition’, ‘qualitative movement elements’ and ‘expressiveness’ were superior. In the Enteka dance no differences (p > 0.05) were observed. Similarly, reciprocal, and self-check TS did not differ from each other, except of ‘qualitative movement elements’ and ‘expressiveness’ in the Pentozali dance, where reciprocal showed higher values (p < 0.05). The females’ dance performance was better than that of male students, regardless of the TS. The use of reciprocal, and self-check TS effectively contributes to the learning of Greek dance. A quality learning environment is promoted, where decision-making initiatives are delegated to students, enhancing the skills of collaboration, observation, heteroevaluation, self-assessment, and self-regulation, necessary in their lives, in general.
Cooperative Learning and the Jigsaw Model in Physical Education
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, Aglaia Zafeiroudi, Ioannis Tsartsapakis, Nikolaos Digelidis
Journal of Physical Education Recreation and Dance, 2026
In physical education (PE), cooperative learning can foster teamwork, inclusive participation, and positive supportive relationships. This article describes how to effectively use the Jigsaw Model in PE environments to promote student-centered learning, increase motivation, and improve social interaction, cooperation, and peer relationships.
Teachers’ strategies to identify and motivate inactive students in physical education before and after the IMPACT Project
Ioannis Syrmpas, Géraldine Escriva-Boulley, Gokce Erturan, Nikolaos Digelidis, Damien Tessier, George Loules, Vasileios Bouglas, Krommidas Charalampos, Giyasettin Demirhan, Attilio Carraro, Philippe Sarrazin, Athanasios Papaioannou
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2026
The purpose of this study was to examine physical education (PE) teachers’ strategies for identifying and motivating inactive students in PE to increase physical activity, both before and after participation in a professional development programme. A qualitative methodology was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study’s theoretical framework, ontological relativism and epistemological constructionism, guided interpretation by participants’ subjective experiences and how meanings were co-created. The project involved interviews with 15 randomly selected PE teachers (10 male, 5 female) from France, Greece, and Turkey. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework with an inductive–deductive coding approach performed independently by three researchers revealing four broad themes: (a) Strategies to identify/monitor students who do not participate in Physical Activity (PA), (b) Promoting student participation in out-of-school PA, (c) Implementing Goal Setting Theory (GST), (d) Promoting an autonomy-supportive or controlling climate in PE. The findings suggest that the project urged PE teachers to use monitoring and goal setting to identify students most in need of PA and to motivate them to participate in out-of-school PA. Despite the training, most PE teachers continued to use controlling behaviours and provided limited autonomy to students. However, some PE teachers reported that the IMPACT project challenged them to adopt an autonomous-supportive climate.
A composite short self-report of adolescents’ out-of-school physical activity: enhanced validity, reliability, cross-cultural applicability and identification of psychological correlates
C. Krommidas, P. Sarrazin, A. Carraro, J. L. Duda, G. Demirhan, M. Torregrossa, J. Martins, E. Gobbi, G. Escriva-Boulley, G. Loules, Y. Ramis, G. Erturan, V. Bouglas, P. Appleton, D. Tessier, C. A. Mata, Y. Syrmpas, N. Digelidis, A. G. Papaioannou
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2026
Questionnaires of adolescents’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) often capture differing timeframes and lack cross-cultural comparability, limiting their utility in large-scale international research. This study evaluated the factorial, cross-cultural, incremental, criterion validity and reliability of a composite tool that integrates three widely used Short Self-Reports (SSRs) of out-of-school MVPA (OS-MVPA). Psychological correlates of PA and accelerometer-based MVPA were used as validation criteria. In Study 1, 9,435 adolescents (ages 10–18) from seven countries (France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK) completed the PACE+, a one-item weekly MVPA measure (WHO-HBSC), and four items from the Youth Activity Profile (YAP). Structural equation modelling supported a hierarchical factor model with three lower-order and one higher-order factors, demonstrating strong structural validity and cross-cultural metric invariance. The composite measure showed greater predictive power, with psychosocial variables explaining 51% of its variance – substantially more than individual SRs (35%–42%). In Study 2, involving 2,907 adolescents from four countries, the composite measure demonstrated good test–retest reliability over a six-month interval, exceeding that of individual SRs. In Study 3, 188 adolescents from three countries wore accelerometers for seven days. The composite tool exhibited strong criterion validity, explaining a higher proportion of variance in accelerometer-assessed MVPA compared to previous studies. Incremental validity for the composite tool was supported both in Study 1 and 3. Overall, findings suggest that the composite SR measure offers a valid, reliable, and culturally robust approach for assessing youth out-of-school PA in large-scale, cross-national studies, outperforming single SR instruments across multiple psychometric criteria.
Justifications for Judgment Accuracy in Sports
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, Aglaia Zafeiroudi, Ioannis Trigonis, Ioannis Tsartsapakis, Alexandros Fotiadis, Asterios Patsiaouras, Nikolaos Digelidis
Sports, 2025
This study investigated the causes of incorrect judgments in a motor task and examined differences between students with varying levels of judgment accuracy. Twenty-two seventh graders participated. Based on their estimated and actual scores in two volleyball serve trials, students were categorized into two groups: “low accuracy” and “high accuracy”. Before each trial, they estimated their scores according to the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance test. Following the trials, students were interviewed about their justifications and their confidence in the accuracy of their judgments. Independent sample t-tests indicated that both “low accuracy” and “high accuracy” students appeared to use metacognitive skills (t(20) = 0.82, p > 0.05). However, the “low accuracy” group lacked the declarative and procedural knowledge (t(20) = 4.59, p < 0.001) necessary for accurately evaluating their performance. Findings suggest that students focused more on outcome-based rather than process-based assessments when evaluating their performance. Enhancing students’ access to both theoretical and experience-based cues in sports may improve their ability to accurately judge their performances and foster greater confidence in lifelong participation in physical activities.
Unravelling Students’ Attitudes Toward Lifelong Exercise
Efstathia Evangelou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Charalampos Krommidas
Physical Education Theory and Methodology, 2024
Background. A central purpose of learning in physical education (PE) is to facilitate students’ physical development and competence that determine lifelong engagement in exercise. Therefore, exploring and understanding students’ attitudes toward lifelong exercise contributes significantly to achieving it. Objectives. Two studies examined students’ attitudes toward lifelong exercise. The first study focused on using social and personal variables as predictors. The second study involved a repeated measures design to determine if there were differences in attitudes as students progressed to the next grade and between schools. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate whether there were variations in attitudes based on the students’ physical activity levels. Materials and methods. In the first study, 752 students of the 7th and 10th grades participated, representing 47 classes from 14 schools. Then, after conducting a repeated measures analysis one academic year later, from the initial sample, 460 students formed two cohorts, comprising Grades 7–8 and 10–11. All factors were internally consistent and well-defined by the variables. The first study used hierarchical linear regression to ascertain whether social and personal variables could be identified as predictors of students’ attitudes toward lifelong exercise. The second study used a mixed ANOVA to assess differences in students’ attitudes, measuring at two time points and between schools. Furthermore, a one-way ANOVA was performed to determine whether there were variations depending on students’ physical activity level. Results. According to the findings of this study, personal variables eliminated the significance of social variables, with task orientation having the highest beta (.33). The results also revealed a significant interaction between measurements in Grades 7 and 8, as well as between schools. Moderately and highly active students had more positive attitudes than sedentary students in both cohorts. Conclusions. Task orientation and personal progress should be emphasized to increase students’ motivation. Nevertheless, a task-supportive climate could improve their intrinsic motivation for lifelong exercise.
Tennis Coaches’ Self-Determined Motivation and Achievement Goals: Links between Coach-Created Motivational Climate, Work Engagement, and Well-Being
Aristea Kiamouri, Maria Angeli, Charalampos Krommidas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Konstantina Karatrantou
Behavioral Sciences, 2024
Tennis coaches display significant influence, catalyzing changes in athlete performance, motivation, and overall well-being. Research on coaches’ motivations and their impact on coaching style, work, and well-being is limited, especially in individual sports like tennis. Based on self-determination (SDT) and achievement goal (AGT) theories, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationships of coaches’ self-determined motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation), basic psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), and achievement goals (self-improvement—SI, self-enhancement—SE, self-transcendence—ST) with their coach-created empowering-disempowering motivational climate, work engagement, and well-being (subjective vitality). Participants were 106 tennis coaches from Greece (66 males and 40 females), with an average age of 41.30 ± 12.54 years and coaching experience ranging from six months to 40 years. Data was collected through online questionnaires. Correlation analysis revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs, and achievement goals were found to be positively related to an empowering climate, work engagement, and subjective vitality. Coaches’ amotivation was positively related to a disempowering climate. Multiple regression analyses showed that autonomy and ST achievement goals significantly predicted tennis coaches’ empowering motivational climate, while none of the independent variables were significant predictors of the disempowering motivational climate. Additionally, intrinsic motivation and ST goal significantly predicted tennis coaches’ work engagement, while autonomy and ST goal significantly predicted their subjective vitality. It is advisable for forthcoming coach education initiatives to consider these findings as an additional justification for tennis coaches to incorporate multiple perspectives into their coaching methodologies.
Validation of the Undesirable Behavior Strategies Questionnaire: Physical Educators' Strategies within the Classroom Ecology
Athina Roka, Aspasia Dania, Nektarios Stavrou, Nikolaos Digelidis
Open Education Studies, 2024
This study sought to propose the Undesirable Behavior Strategies Questionnaire – Physical Education (UBSQ-PE), based on Doyle, W. (1977). Paradigms for research on teacher effectiveness. Review of Research in Education, 5(1), 163–198. classroom ecology paradigm, and validate its use within Physical Education. 289 physical educators participated in the study (80 of them in the pilot study) and completed a survey evaluating the strategies they used across the classroom ecology task systems. An exploratory factor analysis proposed a four-factor solution that measured teachers’ strategies for Differentiation of Instruction, Interaction for Students, Classroom Management, and Interaction with Students and explained a cumulative 47.45% of the total explained variance (KMO = 0.809, χ 231 2 {\\chi }_{231}^{2} = 1,266, 684, p < 0.001). A confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the data to the four-factor solution (χ2/df ratio = 1.52, comparative fit index = 0.906, Tucker Lewis index = 0.890, standardized root mean square residual = 0.079, root mean square error of approximation = 0.05), providing evidence for the instrument’s internal consistency. Multiple analyses of variance showed that there were differences in teachers’ strategies based on their gender, age, studies, professional knowledge, and school level. The use of UBSQ-PE asserts that teachers use undesirable behavior (UB) strategies according to their personal and professional characteristics. Teacher education programs could use this information for supporting PE teachers to adjust their UB strategies in response to each classroom’s interrelated task systems.
Economic status as a predictor of motivational and affective experiences in physical education and physical activity intentions: a cross-sectional study in six European countries
Ilyes Saoudi, Philippe Sarrazin, Athanasios G. Papaioannou, Charalambos Krommidas, Marta Borrueco, Erica Gobbi, João Martins, Paul R. Appleton, Silvio Maltagliati, Gokce Erturan, Damien Tessier, Géraldine Escriva-Boulley, Yago Ramis, Gıyasettin Demirhan, Attilio Carraro, Joan L. Duda, Nikolaos Digelidis, George Loules, Boris Cheval, Aïna Chalabaev
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2024
Lower economic status (ES) is associated with a less adaptive experience of school and physical activity. However, empirical evidence supporting the detrimental association of lower ES on the affective and motivational experience in Physical Education (PE) remains scarce. Using a large sample (N = 10,392) of adolescents from six countries (i.e., Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England, Turkey), this cross-sectional study tested whether students’ family ES was associated with the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs in PE, and in turn with motivational and affective outcomes in PE and their out-of-school physical activity intention. Our secondary objective was to test whether these potential associations differed between countries. We further explored whether gender moderated the abovementioned relationship. Multigroup structural equation modelling showed that, in five of six countries (i.e., Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England), a lower ES was associated with lower basic needs satisfaction with a small effect size (β = .10, p < .001), which in turn was associated with lower enjoyment (β = .75, p < .001), lower autonomous motivation (β = .83, p < .001), weaker out-of-school physical activity intention (p < .001, β = .36), higher displeasure (β = −.51, p < .001), higher controlled motivation (β = −19, p < .001) and stronger amotivation in PE (β = −.28, p < .001). Additional analyses indicate that basic psychological needs mediated the relationship between ES and motivational and affective experiences. Exploratory analyses suggested that the relationship between lower ES and the less adaptative motivational and affective outcomes was amplified among girls. This study provides new insights into how family lower ES and gender might interact to predict less adaptative motivational and affective experiences and outcomes in PE.
Perceptions and Experiences after Participating in a Two-Year Outdoor Adventure Programme
Alexandros Lazaridis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Charalampos Krommidas, Nikolaos Digelidis
Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research, 2023
Adolescents’ Out-of-School Physical Activity Levels and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Restrictions in Greece: A Longitudinal Study
Alexandros Lazaridis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Themistoklis Tsatalas, Charalampos Krommidas, Nikolaos Digelidis
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2023
PE teachers’ perceptions of and experiences with using the TGFU model in teaching team games in elementary school
Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2023
An online PETE course on intercultural education for pre-service physical education teachers: A non-randomized controlled trial
Eleftheria Papageorgiou, Charalampos Krommidas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Louis Moustakas, Athanasios G. Papaioannou
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2023
The effects of Video Modeling on Children's Self-Regulation in Physical Education
International Journal of Sport Psychology, 2023
Students' Attitudes Toward Assessment in Physical Education
Efstathia Evangelou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Charalampos Krommidas
Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research, 2022
Elementary Students’ Perceptions of Cognitively Challenging Physical Activity Games in Physical Education
Athanasios Kolovelonis, Evdoxia Samara, Nikolaos Digelidis, Marios Goudas
Children, 2022
Students’ perceptions of responsibility in physical education: a qualitative study
Achillios Koutelidas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Paul Wright, Marios Goudas
Education 3 13, 2022
A needs assessment study on refugees' inclusion through physical education and sport. Are we ready for this challenge?
Eleftheria Papageorgiou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Athanasios Papaioannou
Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research, 2021
Higher-order factors and measurement equivalence of the spectrum of teaching styles' questionnaire across two cultures
Ioannis Syrmpas, Athanasios Papaioannou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Gokce Erturan, Mark Byra
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2021
Investigation of the relationship between the eating habits of junior high school children and parental educational level
Archives of Hellenic Medicine, 2020
Examining physical education teachers' and pre-service physical education teachers' knowledge related to reproduction and production Teaching Styles through the Framework Theory of Conceptual Change
Spectrum of Teaching Styles in Physical Education, 2020
Greek preservice physical education teachers’ mental models of production and reproduction teaching styles
Ioannis Syrmpas, Senlin Chen, Denis Pasco, Nikolaos Digelidis
European Physical Education Review, 2019
Students' attitudes and predispositions toward physical education in greece
Efstathia Evangelou
Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2018
Physical education teachers' experiences and beliefs of production and reproduction teaching approaches
Ioannis Syrmpas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Anthony Watt, Mark Vicars
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2017
An examination of Greek physical educators’ implementation and perceptions of Spectrum teaching styles
Ioannis Syrmpas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Anthony Watt
European Physical Education Review, 2016
A tactical-game approach and enhancement of metacognitive behaviour in elementary school students
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, N. Digelidis, C. Karatzoglidis, R. Dean
Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2016
The effectiveness of reciprocal and self-check teaching style in promoting metacognition in physical education classes
Metacognition Theory Performance and Current Research, 2016
Preschoolers' perceptions of performance and satisfaction under competitive and non-competitive conditions
Angeliki A. Tsiakara, Nikolaos M. Digelidis
Early Child Development and Care, 2015
The effects of reciprocal and self–check teaching styles in students’ intrinsic– extrinsic motivation, enjoyment and autonomy in teaching traditional Greek dances
A. Pitsi, N. Digelidis, A. Papaioannou
Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2015
Learning environment and type of goals: how it affects preschool children's performance and their perceptions of their performance?
Angeliki Tsiakara, Nikolaos Digelidis
Early Child Development and Care, 2015
Self-regulation, motivation and teaching styles in physical education classes: An intervention study
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, Nikolaos Digelidis, Athanasios G. Papaioannou
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2015
Assessing preschool children's competitive behaviour: an observational system
Angeliki Tsiakara, Nikolaos M. Digelidis
Early Child Development and Care, 2014
Physical education student teachers' experiences with and perceptions of teaching styles
Ioannis Syrmpas, Νikolaos Digelidis
Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2014
Effects of asynchronous music on students' lesson satisfaction and motivation at the situational level
Nikolaos Digelidis, Costas Karageorghis, Anastasia Papapavlou, Athanasios G. Papaioannou
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2014
Comparing the objective motivational climate created by grassroots soccer coaches in England, Greece and France
Damien Tessier, Nathan Smith, Yannis Tzioumakis, Eleanor Quested, Philippe Sarrazin, Athanasios Papaioannou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Joan L. Duda
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2013
Development of junior high school students' fundamental movement skills and physical activity in a naturalistic physical education setting
Sami Pekka Kalaja, Timo Tapio Jaakkola, Jarmo Olavi Liukkonen, Nikolaos Digelidis
Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2012
Physical activity levels, exercise attitudes, self-perceptions and BMI type of 11 to 12-year-old children
Spiridon Kamtsios, Nikolaos Digelidis
Journal of Child Health Care, 2008
A one-year intervention in 7th grade physical education classes aiming to change motivational climate and attitudes towards exercise
Nikolaos Digelidis, Athanasios Papaioannou, Konstantinos Laparidis, Triantafyllos Christodoulidis
Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2003
Motivational climate and attitudes towards exercise in Greek senior high school: A year-long intervention
Triantafylos Christodoulidis, Athanasios Papaioannou, Nikolaos Digelidis
European Journal of Sport Science, 2001
Age-group differences in intrinsic motivation, goal orientations and perceptions of athletic competence, physical appearance and motivational climate in Greek physical education
N. Digelidis, A. Papaioannou
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 1999

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