It seems important to consider students’ attitudes towards physical education (PE), and the way they learn
sports. The present study examines students’ perceptions of motivation and achievement in PE after experiencing three
consecutive sport units. Two hundred and thirty seven students from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade in a high school
in Burgos (Spain) and two teachers agreed to participate. They were divided into two groups in order to compare two
instructional approaches. The experimental group (A), 128 students, experienced Teaching Games for Understanding
(TGfU), while the control group (B), 109 students, experienced a technical-traditional approach. Each group was taught
by a different teacher. The study followed a mixed-method research design with quantitative (questionnaire) and
qualitative (interview) data. Results revealed that group A showed greater motivation and achievement in PE than
group B. Significant differences were found in achievement. Participants with better academic results in group A were
more positive in sport participation. Meanwhile, students who practiced more extracurricular sports in group B were
more actively involved in sport. Teachers disagreed greatly on the way sport should be taught in PE.
