Different profiles in terms of motivation and concerns of physical education students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify different profiles of Physical Education teacher students considering their motivation and concerns. A total of 53 students in Supervised Internship participated in this quantitative and cross-sectional study. The research instruments included: Initial Motivation and Pedagogical Support Scale; Teacher’s Concerns Questionnaire; and Sociodemographic Questionnaire. The results showed three groups of students. Group I included unmotivated students concerned only with the task at hand and with little time for studies and insufficient income. Students in Groups II and III showed higher motivation. However, members of Group II showed higher levels of concern, insufficient income and less time dedicated to studies, while Group III members had lower levels of concern, insufficient income and more time dedicated to studies. Therefore, the study finds that sociodemographic aspects are intervening factors for students’ motivation and concern profiles.