Autonomy support, basic needs satisfaction, and involvement in physical education among Norwegian secondary school students.

PURPOSE

This study investigated the relationship between teacher autonomy support, students' basic psychological needs satisfaction, and involvement in physical education (PE) with gender specific analyses. Additionally, the study examined the validity of a Norwegian version of the Basic Psychological Needs in PE (BPN-PE) scale.

METHOD

Survey data from the Norwegian 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study.

RESULTS

A structural equation model showed that perceived autonomy support from teacher predicted students' basic needs satisfaction of competence, autonomy and relatedness. Furthermore, satisfaction of competence predicted weekly PE participation and physical activity during PE among boys. The analyses revealed mean level differences with boys scoring higher than girls on all the investigated variables. The findings also supported the validity and reliability of the BPN-PE scale across genders.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The study adds knowledge to the understanding of the relationship between autonomy support from teachers, students basic need satisfaction and students' involvement in PE.