Complementing the Self-Determination Theory With the Need for Novelty: Motivation and Intention to Be Physically Active in Physical Education Students

Abstract

The theoretical framework of the self-determination theory establishes that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and more self-determined motivational forms are related to positive behavioral consequences and, therefore, may increase the intention to be physically active in Physical Education students. In this sense, the need for novelty has been proposed as a psychological need by recent scientific evidence, so it is necessary to prove its possible contribution to the prediction of young people's behavior. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to test a model that analyzed the power of prediction of the satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, relatedness, and novelty as well as the motivation experienced in Physical Education on the intention to be physically active. A questionnaire was administered to 1665 Physical Education students with an average age of 12.43 years (SD = 1.87), of which 835 were boys and 830 were girls. An adaptation of the Spanish educational context of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES) that includes the need for novelty, the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC), and the Intention to be Physically Active Scale (IPAS) was used. Path analysis results showed that the satisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, relatedness, and novelty predicted autonomous motivation. On the other hand, the need for autonomy positively predicted controlled motivation, while the satisfaction of relatedness did so negatively. The need for competence and autonomous motivation positively predicted the intention to be physically active in Physical Education students, obtaining an explained variance of 33%. However, controlled motivation was not related in a statistically significant way to the intention to be physically active. In conclusion, the results of the hypothesized model highlight the importance of satisfying all the basic psychological needs (including novelty) and give special emphasis to the need for competence, since it predicts autonomous motivation and the intention to be physically active outside of the educational context.

Physical Education and the Adoption of Habits Related to the Mediterranean Diet

“…The correlations were significant in their entirety and positive, except for those related to the frustration of basic psychological needs, which showed a negative sign. These results are in line with previous studies where the factors composing PE class satisfaction, BNPs satisfaction, self-determined motivation, factors composing social cognition, behavioural intention, and following a Mediterranean diet were determined to be constructs positively related to each other because of their positive connotations [ 41 , 42 , 43 ] and studies that have demonstrated that BPNs thwarting is negatively related to all of them [ 44 , 45 ].…”

Make Fitness Fun: Could Novelty Be the Key Determinant for Physical Activity Adherence?

“…Therefore, performing new and challenging exercises could increase enjoyment and interest while enhancing acquisition of new skills every time a new exercise is introduced. Moreover, it has been recently hypothesized that the need for novelty, that is the need to experience something that stands out of the routine (González-Cutre et al, 2019 ), could be one of the Basic Psychological Needs (Bagheri and Milyavskaya, 2020 ; Fernández-Espínola et al, 2020 ). In this sense, creating programs satisfying the need for novelty, and stimulating interest and enjoyment at the same time, could also promote individuals' participation over time, through the introduction of new exercises in the PA routine, or the variation of familiar exercises (Sylvester et al, 2018 ).…”

Educational and Social Exergaming: A Perspective on Physical, Social, and Educational Benefits and Pitfalls of Exergaming at Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Afterwards

“…Notably, social exergaming could also satisfy a (fourth) basic need for novelty (Vansteenkiste et al, 2020). While offering new experiences had a positive indirect effect on the intention to be physically active via autonomous motivation in school-aged students (Fernández-Espínola et al, 2020), playing with other players can result in new experiences. However, novelty effects (a rapid decline from an initially high level of appeal or usage) might also lead to an overestimation of exergames' (long-term) effects.…”