AI Insight
This cross-sectional study of 1,500 Chinese university students examined how growth mindset, grit, and self-compassion relate to subjective vitality, physical education enjoyment, and exercise intention using structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Results showed that growth mindset, grit, and self-compassion were positively associated with both vitality and PE enjoyment, while growth mindset and grit also directly predicted exercise intention. The model explained 44.8% of variance in exercise intention, with subjective vitality and PE enjoyment serving as significant mediating pathways between psychological traits and exercise intentions.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that fostering growth mindset, grit, and self-compassion in university physical education programs may enhance students' vitality, enjoyment, and motivation to exercise. However, the cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions, so longitudinal research is needed to determine whether interventions targeting these psychological traits would effectively increase physical activity engagement.
Understand the Science
InroductionDrawing on Self-Determination Theory, Implicit Theories of Ability, and Self-Compassion Theory, this study examined cross-sectional associations of growth mindset, grit, and self-compassion with subjective vitality, physical education (PE) enjoyment, and exercise intention.MethodsData from 1,500 undergraduates across eight Chinese universities were analysed using SEM and fsQCA.ResultsIn the revised partial-mediation model, growth mindset, grit, and self-compassion were positively associated with subjective vitality (β = 0.300, 0.221, 0.176) and PE enjoyment (β = 0.340, 0.137, 0.091). Growth mindset and grit also showed direct associations with exercise intention (β = 0.105, 0.137), whereas self-compassion did not (β = −0.032). Subjective vitality and PE enjoyment were positively associated with exercise intention (β = 0.220, 0.408), and the model explained 44.8% of its variance. Bias-corrected 95% CIs from 5,000 bootstrap samples excluded zero for all six specific indirect effects. Under the primary calibration scheme, fsQCA identified no single positive condition as necessary; the highest necessity consistency was 0.842 for growth mindset with high subjective vitality and 0.802 for grit with high PE enjoyment, both below 0.90. Two minimal sufficient configurations characterised high subjective vitality (GM*Grit and GM*SC; solution consistency = 0.810, coverage = 0.823), whereas no configuration met the sufficiency thresholds for high PE enjoyment.DiscussionThe findings provide cross-sectional evidence consistent with the proposed framework but do not establish causal or temporal ordering.