BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS ACCORDING TO ACADEMIC AND HEALTHY FACTORS IN ADOLESCENTS FROM GRANADA

Abstract

This descriptive and cross-sectional study aimed to define the basic psychological needs in Physical Education (PE) according to various academic and sporting factors such as PE qualification or the type of sport practiced. A total of 168 subjects (14.90 ± 0.71 years of age) from 3rd and 4th year of the city of Granada participated in this research, using as main instrument the NPBEF scale (Moreno et al., 2008). SPSS® software version 23.0 was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that male adolescents had a higher need for autonomy. It was observed that those students, who obtained higher scores in PE and grants, showed a greater need of competence. Likewise, subjects who practiced Physical Activity (AP) in an extracurricular way had a greater need for competence and relationship. Specifically, young people who practiced individual sports with contact had a greater need for competence, while those who practiced collective sports with contact had a higher need of relationship. In conclusion, it is pointed out the interest of promoting intrinsic motivations in PE through basic psychological needs given its positive relationship with the school performance and a greater extracurricular sports practice.