Evelien Opdecam

Biographic Data

ID	6328115
NAME	Evelien Opdecam
GIVEN NAMES	Evelien
FAMILY NAME	Opdecam
SIGNATURE	OPDECAM E
AFFILIATIONS	Ghent University
ORCID	0000-0001-9459-3019
VERIFIED	Yes
TOTAL WORKS	38
TOTAL CITATIONS	47
AUTHOR COUNT	38
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	2007
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2026
H-INDEX	3

From thesis to teacher: Research competencies of Flemish student teachers in research-based teacher education
Stefanie De Jonge, Hanne Tack et al.ARTICLEResearch Papers in Education2026References: 37
In response to the growing importance of educating student teachers with research competencies, political decisions have been made in Flanders as well to integrate research in academic teacher education programmes. From now on, teacher education students in Flanders who are attending a university-based academic teacher education programme are required to write an educational research-based master’s thesis. However, little is known about how stude…
A Game Plan to Support First‐Year Students in Higher Education: The Case Study of a Gamified Orientation Day
Open AccessVanderstraeten Lize, Buysschaert Fanny et al.ARTICLEEuropean Journal of Education2025
Engaging first‐year students from the first moment of arrival is crucial to support their transition to higher education and facilitate their learning experiences and learning outcomes. Orientation activities offer first‐year students important transitional support during their first period at higher education. As students sometimes consider orientation activities as tedious, gamification might make participation more enjoyable while stimulating …
Teachers’ motivating style, students’ basic psychological needs, academic reading motivation, and engagement
Open AccessMartin Dammert, Lennia Matos et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Educational Research2025
Students display different amounts and types of motivation for academic reading. Drawing upon self-determination theory, we examined the relationship between perceived teachers’ motivating style and students’ basic psychological needs, regulatory styles, and engagement around academic reading. Participants were 235 Peruvian fourth-fifth graders who completed questionnaires regarding their experiences of motivation and their teachers’ perceived mo…
Students' relatedness with peers and teachers in secondary education: Distinct Associations With Student Motivation and Engagement
Open AccessArne Bouten, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLESocial Psychology of Education2025Cited by: 1References: 4
Do Athletes Tolerate Fraud for the Benefit of the Club? Applying the Lens of Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior
Tassilo Tom Tissot, Alain Van Hiel et al.ARTICLEDeviant Behavior2025Cited by: 1References: 62
Fraud in sport is a prevalent and harmful form of deviant behavior. Across two experimental studies with British and Belgian sport club members (N = 597), we examined aversion to four types of sport-related fraud (corruption, asset misappropriation, match-fixing, and identity fraud) through the lens of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPOB). Participants evaluated scenarios where fraud either benefited their club (pro-club condition represe…
Catme ‐B in Secondary Education: Exploring the Perceptions of Students and Teachers
Open AccessAmelie Vanhove, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEEuropean Journal of Education2024
To date, no widely used, scientifically validated instruments designed for assessing secondary education students' teamwork skills exist. As CATME‐B shows promising results and might suit secondary education's needs best, this study offers an initial investigation on (1) how students and teachers perceive the use of CATME‐B in secondary education to assess students' teamwork skills and (2) whether CATME‐B is effective in detecting changes in stud…
A little push in the back: Nudging students to improve procrastination, class attendance and preparation
Eva Blondeel, Patricia Everaert et al.ARTICLEStudies in Higher Education2024
Procrastination is a prevalent problem in higher education, leading to lower performance. Procrastination is often linked with low class attendance and little class preparation, which are two important foundations to process learning materials. Hence, interventions are recommended to overcome procrastination. One promising intervention is nudging. Based on the motivational Expectancy-Value Theory, the current study aims to (1) examine the change …
How is observed (de)motivating teaching associated with student motivation and device-based physical activity during physical education
Open AccessNele Van Doren, Sofie Compernolle et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2024References: 2
Previous Self-Determination Theory (SDT) research has highlighted the impact of physical education (PE) teachers’ (de)motivating styles on students’ motivation, in-class moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behaviour. However, most studies relied on questionnaires to assess PE teachers’ (de)motivating styles, and the few that used observations focused primarily on one specific (de)motivating style in relation to motivation…
Transferring responsibility in primary school physical education: Experiences of five teachers participating in a professional development programme
Open AccessKatrijn Opstoel, Frans J Prins et al.ARTICLETeaching and Teacher Education2024Cited by: 1References: 10
The Moral Identity Questionnaire predicts prosocial behavior better than the Moral Identity Scale
Open AccessTassilo Tom Tissot, Alain Van Hiel et al.ARTICLECurrent Psychology2023
Is high teacher directiveness always negative? Associations with students’ motivational outcomes in physical education
Open AccessLuis García-González, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLETeaching and Teacher Education2023Cited by: 3References: 2
This study investigates how perceived competence-supportive and externally and internally controlling styles can be combined and associated with different students' motivational outcomes in Physical Education (PE). In a sample of 1107 students, results revealed that while competence-support positively related to need satisfaction and autonomous motivation, external and internal control positively related to need frustration, controlled motivation…
An online video annotation tool for optimizing secondary teachers’ motivating style: Acceptability, usability, and feasibility
Open AccessArne Bouten, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLETeaching and Teacher Education2023Cited by: 1References: 3
Burnout, motivation, and (de-)motivating teaching style in different phases of a teaching career
Open AccessSilke Hellebaut, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLETeaching and Teacher Education2023Cited by: 2References: 8
A Daily Examination of the Moderating Role of Adolescents’ Coping in Associations between Psychologically Controlling Parenting and Adolescents’ Maladjustment
Open AccessNele Flamant, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEJournal of Youth and Adolescence2023Cited by: 1References: 51
Are All Negotiations Equally Favorable? The Role of Adolescents’ Negotiation Style, Social Domain, and Mothers’ Authoritarian Beliefs and Family History
Open AccessNele Flamant, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEJournal of Youth and Adolescence2023References: 89
Stimulating higher education students to use online formative assessments: The case of two mid-term take-home tests
Eva Blondeel, Patricia Everaert et al.ARTICLEAssessment & Evaluation in Higher…2022
Using additional learning materials positively influences student performance. The literature focuses mainly on learning outcomes, whereas the present study investigates whether two intermediate (take-home) tests are a successful tool to increase student use of online formative assessments (OFAs). This study is a between-subjects quasi-experiment, administered in an undergraduate accounting course. Measures are used to capture both the intensity …
Physical education teachers’ perceptions and operationalisations of personal and social development goals in primary education
Open AccessKatrijn Opstoel, Frans J Prins et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2022References: 3
Personal and social development constitutes an important goal of physical education (PE) curricula worldwide. Few studies have analysed how PE teachers perceive and operationalise personal and social development goals in their lessons. This study sought to investigate the implemented curriculum of in-service PE teachers, that is, how PE teachers perceive and operationalise personal and social development goals. In sum, 12 experienced primary scho…
Toward a Refined Insight Into the Importance of Volunteers’ Motivations for Need-Based Experiences, Job Satisfaction, Work Effort, and Turnover Intentions in Nonprofit Sports Clubs: A Person-Centered …
Open AccessTom De Clerck, Annick Willems et al.ARTICLEVoluntas Revista Internacional de…2022Cited by: 2References: 2
Extensive variable-centered research guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has provided insights into volunteers’ motivations in nonprofit and voluntary sports clubs. However, volunteers may have multiple reasons for engaging in volunteer work. By adopting a person-centered approach, the present study aimed to identify volunteers’ motivational profiles in sports clubs based on combinations of different motivational regulations as distinguishe…
Antecedents of primary school teachers’ need-supportive and need-thwarting styles in physical education
Open AccessGéraldine Escriva–boulley, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2021Cited by: 2References: 6
It is widely acknowledged that teachers’ (de)motivating style (what they say, do and how they act) affects students’ learning. Understanding what leads teachers to adopt a (de)motivating style is necessary to develop effective training programmes. The current study aimed to identify antecedents of teachers’ motivating (i.e. need-supportive) and demotivating (i.e. need-thwarting) styles by (a) examining the relationships between five types of pres…
How do adolescents deal with intrusive parenting? The role of coping with psychologically controlling parenting in internalizing and externalizing problems
Open AccessNele Flamant, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEJournal of Adolescence2020
INTRODUCTION: While research has shown convincingly that psychologically controlling parenting increases the risk for internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents, little is known about how adolescents cope with such parenting. This study examined the role of two non-autonomous ways of coping (i.e., compulsive compliance and oppositional defiance) and one more autonomous way of coping (i.e., negotiation) in the associations between …
Volunteers Managing Volunteers: The Role of Volunteer Board Members’ Motivating and Demotivating Style in Relation to Volunteers’ Motives to Stay Volunteer
Open AccessTom De Clerck, Annick Willems et al.ARTICLEVoluntas Revista Internacional de…2019Cited by: 3References: 9
Against the background of declining volunteering rates in nonprofit and voluntary organizations, this study examined the relationship between the volunteer board members’ (de)motivating style and factors that influence volunteers’ motives to stay volunteer, i.e., volunteers’ motivation and group-task cohesion. To this end, we relied on Self-Determination Theory. Results indicated that the volunteers’ perception of the board members’ motivating st…
Fostering Personal Meaning and Self-relevance: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization
Maarten Vansteenkiste, Nathalie Aelterman et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Experimental…2018
Central to self-determination theory (SDT) is the notion that autonomously motivated learning relates to greater learning benefits. While learners' intrinsic motivation has received substantial attention, learners also display volitional learning when they come to endorse the personal meaning or self-relevance of the learning task. In Part I of this review, we discuss how the process of internalization, in addition to intrinsic motivation, consti…
How does knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test relate to adolescents’ situational motivation in physical education? A self-determination theory approach
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2018Cited by: 3References: 6
Students’ knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test is a crucial component of assessment quality. Grounded in self-determination theory, we investigated whether knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test related to students’ situational motivation and experienced anxiety during physical education (PE). We also examined whether these relations were: (a) mediated by need-based experiences; and (b) moderated by teachers’ motivating st…
Understanding body image in physical education: Current knowledge and future directions
Open AccessCharlotte Kerner, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2017Cited by: 7References: 7
Body image disturbance in children and adolescents has negative implications for psychological and physical well-being. To positively impact well-being, it is important to explore factors that influence body image and to identify strategies that can be used to reduce body image disturbance. The school curriculum can play a significant role in shaping how children and adolescents experience their bodies. Within this school curriculum, physical edu…
Development and optimisation of an in-service teacher training programme on motivational assessment in physical education
Open AccessMenno Slingerland, Lars B Borghouts et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2016Cited by: 3References: 11
Although assessment practices are commonly part of the physical education (PE) curriculum they may often frustrate rather than support students’ basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Nevertheless, assessment also provides various promising opportunities to support these basic needs and enhance learning in students. In order to address this issue, we developed an in-service teacher training programme that was grounded within contem…

The effects of a middle-school healthy eating intervention on adolescents' fat and fruit intake and soft drinks consumption
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2007
Objectives To evaluate the effects of a middle-school healthy eating promotion intervention combining environmental changes and computer-tailored feedback, with and without an explicit parent involvement component. Design Clustered randomised controlled trial. Setting Fifteen West-Flemish (Belgian) middle schools. Subjects A random sample of 15 schools with 2991 pupils in 7th and 8th grades was randomly assigned to an intervention group with pare…
The relationship between children’s home food environment and dietary patterns in childhood and adolescence
Open AccessCarine Vereecken, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2010
Objective To identify the correlates of the home food environment (parents’ intake, availability and food-related parenting practices) at the age of 10 years with dietary patterns during childhood and in adolescence. Setting Primary-school children of fifty-nine Flemish elementary schools completed a questionnaire at school in 2002. Four years later they completed a questionnaire by e-mail or mail at home. Their parents completed a questionnaire …
Relationship of physical activity and dietary habits with body mass index in the transition from childhood to adolescence: A 4-year longitudinal study
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2010
Objective To explore the relationship between several physical activity (PA) and dietary behaviours and BMI Z- score and to investigate the relationship between changes in these variables and in the BMI Z- score over a 4-year period from childhood to adolescence. Design Longitudinal study in which children were included in the fifth grade and measured for four consecutive years. Dietary and PA behaviours as well as height and weight were measured…
Motivational profiles for secondary school physical education and its relationship to the adoption of a physically active lifestyle among university students
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2010Cited by: 10References: 10
The promotion of an active lifestyle is one of the central aims of physical education (PE). The present study aimed at investigating the relation between students’ motivation for PE and activity levels using self-determination theory as a guiding framework. A retrospective design was used involving 2617 university students, of which 878 (33.5 percent) were male (age 20.6 1.9). Validated questionnaires were used to measure motivation for PE, self-…
Toward the Development of a Pedagogical Model for Health-Based Physical Education
Leen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEQuest2011
The purpose of this advocacy paper is to make a case for the development of a pedagogical model for Health-Based Physical Education (HBPE) drawing on Jewett, Bain and Ennis's (1995) and Metzler's (2005) ground-breaking work on models-based practice in physical education. A selective review of what has been learnt about HBPE was made to be able to define the central theme for the model as ‘pupils valuing a physically active life, so that they lear…
Pilot evaluation of the Helena (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Food-O-Meter, a computer-tailored nutrition advice for adolescents: A study in six European cities
Open AccessLea Maes, Tina Louisa Cook et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2011
Objective To investigate the feasibility and impact of the Food-O-Meter, an Internet-based computer-tailored nutrition intervention in adolescents. Design Participants in the intervention condition received the computer-tailored advice at baseline and at 1 month, those in the control condition received standardised advice. Effects were evaluated at 1 month ( n 621) and at 3 months ( n 558) using multi-level modelling. Setting Secondary schools in…
Identifying configurations of perceived teacher autonomy support and structure: Associations with self-regulated learning, motivation and problem behavior
Open AccessMaarten Vansteenkiste, Eline Sierens et al.ARTICLELearning and Instruction2012
Effects of a 2-year healthy eating and physical activity intervention for 3–6-year-olds in communities of high and low socio-economic status: The POP (Prevention of Overweight among Pre-school and sch…
Open AccessValerie De Coen, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2012
Objective The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based, 2-year, multi-component intervention on BMI, eating and physical activity behaviour in Flanders, Belgium, targeting children aged 3–6 years in communities of high and low socio-economic status (SES). Design Cluster-randomized controlled trial. Setting Thirty-one pre-primary and primary schools in three different intervention communities and three paired-matc…
Observing Physical Education Teachers’ Need-Supportive Interactions in Classroom Settings
Leen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEJournal of Sport and Exercise…2013
According to self-determination theory, teachers can motivate students by supporting their psychological needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The present study complements extant research (most of which relied on self-report measures) by relying on observations of need-supportive teaching in the domain of physical education (PE), which allows for the identification of concrete, real-life examples of how teacher need support manifests …
Differences in perceived competence and physical activity levels during single-gender modified basketball game play in middle school physical education
Open AccessMenno Slingerland, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2013Cited by: 2References: 7
Creating environments in physical education (PE) that foster perceived competence and physical activity during gender-mixed game play lessons is a challenge, especially with adolescent girls. This study is a small experiment in one PE lesson that aimed to increase the perceived competence and in-class physical activity in girls, by applying a single-gender grouping strategy within co-educational classes. A final sample of 216 students (90 girls; …
Fostering a Need-Supportive Teaching Style: Intervention Effects on Physical Education Teachers’ Beliefs and Teaching Behaviors
Nathalie Aelterman, Maarten Vansteenkiste et al.ARTICLEJournal of Sport and Exercise…2014
The present intervention study examined whether physical education (PE) teachers can learn to make use of autonomy-supportive and structuring teaching strategies. In a sample of 39 teachers (31 men, M = 38.51 ± 10.44 years) and 669 students (424 boys, M = 14.58 ± 1.92 years), we investigated whether a professional development training grounded in self-determination theory led to changes in (a) teachers’ beliefs about the effectiveness and feasibi…
New research programmes in physical education and sport pedagogy
David Kirk, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLESport Education and Society2014Cited by: 5References: 7
During the past decades, significant progress has been made in the development of physical education and sport pedagogy (PESP) research with the field reaching a level of maturity and critical mass. In light of this development, it seems worthwhile to take an overarching view on existing evidence in order to identify a number of emerging challenges that researchers in PESP might want to address in future studies. We argue that there is an emergin…
Do perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching relate to physical education students' motivational experiences through unique pathways? Distinguishing between the bright and dark side of mo…
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEPsychology of Sport and Exercise2015
Development and optimisation of an in-service teacher training programme on motivational assessment in physical education
Open AccessMenno Slingerland, Lars B Borghouts et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2016Cited by: 3References: 11
Although assessment practices are commonly part of the physical education (PE) curriculum they may often frustrate rather than support students’ basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Nevertheless, assessment also provides various promising opportunities to support these basic needs and enhance learning in students. In order to address this issue, we developed an in-service teacher training programme that was grounded within contem…
Understanding body image in physical education: Current knowledge and future directions
Open AccessCharlotte Kerner, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2017Cited by: 7References: 7
Body image disturbance in children and adolescents has negative implications for psychological and physical well-being. To positively impact well-being, it is important to explore factors that influence body image and to identify strategies that can be used to reduce body image disturbance. The school curriculum can play a significant role in shaping how children and adolescents experience their bodies. Within this school curriculum, physical edu…
Fostering Personal Meaning and Self-relevance: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization
Maarten Vansteenkiste, Nathalie Aelterman et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Experimental…2018
Central to self-determination theory (SDT) is the notion that autonomously motivated learning relates to greater learning benefits. While learners' intrinsic motivation has received substantial attention, learners also display volitional learning when they come to endorse the personal meaning or self-relevance of the learning task. In Part I of this review, we discuss how the process of internalization, in addition to intrinsic motivation, consti…
How does knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test relate to adolescents’ situational motivation in physical education? A self-determination theory approach
Open AccessLeen Haerens, Evelien Opdecam et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2018Cited by: 3References: 6
Students’ knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test is a crucial component of assessment quality. Grounded in self-determination theory, we investigated whether knowledge about the criteria for an upcoming test related to students’ situational motivation and experienced anxiety during physical education (PE). We also examined whether these relations were: (a) mediated by need-based experiences; and (b) moderated by teachers’ motivating st…
Volunteers Managing Volunteers: The Role of Volunteer Board Members’ Motivating and Demotivating Style in Relation to Volunteers’ Motives to Stay Volunteer
Open AccessTom De Clerck, Annick Willems et al.ARTICLEVoluntas Revista Internacional de…2019Cited by: 3References: 9
Against the background of declining volunteering rates in nonprofit and voluntary organizations, this study examined the relationship between the volunteer board members’ (de)motivating style and factors that influence volunteers’ motives to stay volunteer, i.e., volunteers’ motivation and group-task cohesion. To this end, we relied on Self-Determination Theory. Results indicated that the volunteers’ perception of the board members’ motivating st…
How do adolescents deal with intrusive parenting? The role of coping with psychologically controlling parenting in internalizing and externalizing problems
Open AccessNele Flamant, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEJournal of Adolescence2020
INTRODUCTION: While research has shown convincingly that psychologically controlling parenting increases the risk for internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents, little is known about how adolescents cope with such parenting. This study examined the role of two non-autonomous ways of coping (i.e., compulsive compliance and oppositional defiance) and one more autonomous way of coping (i.e., negotiation) in the associations between …
Antecedents of primary school teachers’ need-supportive and need-thwarting styles in physical education
Open AccessGéraldine Escriva–boulley, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2021Cited by: 2References: 6
It is widely acknowledged that teachers’ (de)motivating style (what they say, do and how they act) affects students’ learning. Understanding what leads teachers to adopt a (de)motivating style is necessary to develop effective training programmes. The current study aimed to identify antecedents of teachers’ motivating (i.e. need-supportive) and demotivating (i.e. need-thwarting) styles by (a) examining the relationships between five types of pres…
Stimulating higher education students to use online formative assessments: The case of two mid-term take-home tests
Eva Blondeel, Patricia Everaert et al.ARTICLEAssessment & Evaluation in Higher…2022
Using additional learning materials positively influences student performance. The literature focuses mainly on learning outcomes, whereas the present study investigates whether two intermediate (take-home) tests are a successful tool to increase student use of online formative assessments (OFAs). This study is a between-subjects quasi-experiment, administered in an undergraduate accounting course. Measures are used to capture both the intensity …
Physical education teachers’ perceptions and operationalisations of personal and social development goals in primary education
Open AccessKatrijn Opstoel, Frans J Prins et al.ARTICLEEuropean Physical Education Review2022References: 3
Personal and social development constitutes an important goal of physical education (PE) curricula worldwide. Few studies have analysed how PE teachers perceive and operationalise personal and social development goals in their lessons. This study sought to investigate the implemented curriculum of in-service PE teachers, that is, how PE teachers perceive and operationalise personal and social development goals. In sum, 12 experienced primary scho…
Toward a Refined Insight Into the Importance of Volunteers’ Motivations for Need-Based Experiences, Job Satisfaction, Work Effort, and Turnover Intentions in Nonprofit Sports Clubs: A Person-Centered …
Open AccessTom De Clerck, Annick Willems et al.ARTICLEVoluntas Revista Internacional de…2022Cited by: 2References: 2
Extensive variable-centered research guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has provided insights into volunteers’ motivations in nonprofit and voluntary sports clubs. However, volunteers may have multiple reasons for engaging in volunteer work. By adopting a person-centered approach, the present study aimed to identify volunteers’ motivational profiles in sports clubs based on combinations of different motivational regulations as distinguishe…
The Moral Identity Questionnaire predicts prosocial behavior better than the Moral Identity Scale
Open AccessTassilo Tom Tissot, Alain Van Hiel et al.ARTICLECurrent Psychology2023
Is high teacher directiveness always negative? Associations with students’ motivational outcomes in physical education
Open AccessLuis García-González, Leen Haerens et al.ARTICLETeaching and Teacher Education2023Cited by: 3References: 2
This study investigates how perceived competence-supportive and externally and internally controlling styles can be combined and associated with different students' motivational outcomes in Physical Education (PE). In a sample of 1107 students, results revealed that while competence-support positively related to need satisfaction and autonomous motivation, external and internal control positively related to need frustration, controlled motivation…