Student Motivation Associated With the Practice of Individual and Team Sports in Physical Education Classes

Abstract

Physical education teachers face the challenge of providing motivating and enjoyable experiences during physical education classes on a daily basis. Thus, the level of students' motivation for physical education takes on special importance. The main objective of this work was to establish the motivations of students of regular and professional education regarding the practice of collective or individual modalities in physical education classes. Fifty-one students participated in the study (36 men and 15 women; mean age = 15.67 ± 1.0). The sample was divided into two classes; one of regular education and another of professional education. The students answered a questionnaire that aimed to verify their motivations regarding the preference of individual or team sports during physical education class. The results show a clear preference for the practice of team sports, compared to individual sports, regardless of the type of student education. It was concluded that, both regular and professional education students were more motivated to practice team sports during physical education. In addition, the results show a greater predominance in the teaching of team sports during physical education classes.