The Relationship among Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Thwarting, Autonomous Motivation, Affective Outcomes and Behavioral Intentions in Adolescent's Educational Sport Environment; Modeling Based on Basic Psychological Needs Theory

Nowadays, the psychological benefits associated with participating in regular physical activity, including general improvements in the self-esteem, self-confidence and psychological well-being of children and adolescents, are well illuminated. According to Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), the purpose of this research was to examine the relationship among satisfaction and thwarting of basic psychological needs, autonomous motivation, affective outcomes (negative and positive affect), and behavioral intentions (sport devaluation and Intention to continue sport) in adolescent’s sport educational environment.

Participants include 500 adolescents (250 girl and 250 boy, with age range 12-17 years) who participated in Summer Educational Sport classes in Tabriz city. They selected in cluster sampling way and completed the questionnaires of psychological needs satisfaction and thwarting, the behavioural regulations in sport, positive and negative affect, sport burnout , and intention to continue sport participation.

Results by analyzing pearson correlational coefficients and track analysis showed that needs satisfaction negatively and needs thwarting positively predicted autonomous motivation, in turn, autonomous motivation predicted positively adaptive outcomes (positive affect and intention to continue sport) and negatively nonadaptive outcomes (negative affect and sport devaluation). In addition, needs thwarting predicted strongly nonadaptive outcomes, but needs satisfaction predicted strongly adaptive outcomes.

Overall, these finding by confirming the potential utility of the basic psychological needs theory in adolescent's sport educational environment, suggest that basic psychological needs is an effective variable in adolescent's motivation, affect states, and behavioral intentions at sport educational environments.