Analysis of the motivational climate in sport and its relationship with the use of videogames and gender in elementary students

Abstract

Nowadays our society lives in a technological era that has led to a "technological sedentary lifestyle". It has caused a sedentary lifestyle in children that must be tackled by means of physical activity. Therefore it is essential to know what motivates children to practice sport. This research aims to describe the levels of motivation caused by the physical practice carried out by students. It also has as its objective to analyze the relation between the perception of the motivational climate in the classroom and the use of video games. This is a descriptive, relational and cross-sectional research. A sample of one hundred and forty two students aged between 10 and 12 completed the PMCSQ-2 (Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire) and the experiences related to video games questionnaire. The results showed that Elementary students who devote more than 3 hours per week to practice sport have a bigger motivation in the task-orientated climate. Those who do not practice sport these 3 hours are prone to the ego-orientated climate. The results obtained in the research show that most students do not have any problems with video games. The factors that are more related to the intrinsic motivation belong to the task-orientated climate. These results have been highlighted in the discussion section to promote the motivation of the students in physical education, the compromise with the physical practice and the promotion of a healthy and long-lasting lifestyle.