Psychological needs, self-regulation, and motivation profiles among a sample of Hong Kong Chinese university students: a person-centered approach

Abstract To better understand factors that influence individuals’ motivation to engage in physical activity, this study aimed to identify the motivational profiles among the Chinese university students, compare the motivational profiles between genders, and explore whether satisfaction of various psychological needs vary with different motivational profiles. Two thousand and twenty-two Chinese university students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing motivation regulation and psychological needs satisfaction. Three motivational profiles were identified for both genders. The overall patterns of the motivational profiles for both genders were similar. However, males (44%) were more likely than their female counterparts (19%) in self-determined profile group. Students with self-determined motivation profile, compared to non self-determined motivation profile, had higher values on three types of needs satisfaction. Findings and implication of the study were discussed.