The effect of age on relationships between perceived teaching behaviours, basic psychological needs and self-determined motivation in physical education

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of age on relationships between perceptions of various teaching behaviours, satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and self-determined motivation in physical education, using Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory [3] as a theoretical framework. The 264 students from 7th grade (M age=13.2, SD=0.42) and 432 from 12th grade (M age=18.1, SD=0.38) completed measures of perceived teaching behaviours with dimensions of democratic behaviour, autocratic behaviour, teaching and instruction, situation consideration, positive general verbal feedback, and both positive and negative nonverbal feedback, as well as measures of perceived satisfaction of the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and selfdetermined motivation. Path-analytic models revealed similarities and discrepancies in the magnitude of relationships between perceived teaching behaviours, satisfaction of the basic psychological needs, and self-determined motivation in physical education among students with different age groups. Results suggested that for 7th graders, the perception of positive general verbal feedback was essential antecedent of self-determined motivation, whereas for 12th graders both perceptions of positive general verbal feedback and democratic behaviour were essential antecedents of self-determined motivation in physical education.