Analysis of motivation towards sports practice in students of Primary Education in Galicia. A descriptive study

Abstract

The current technological revolution has benefited the development of the human being. However, sedentary lifestyle has increased, and consequently, health problems, such as childhood obesity. The combination of physical activity with appropriate educational strategies are the most effective tools to fight against childhood obesity. But it is necessary to take into account the motivation towards the practice of physical exercise to generate the necessary adherence to generate healthy lifestyles and increase the effectiveness of the programs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the reasons for sports practice of students in grades 5 and 6 of Primary Education according to gender and age in 4 Galician schools. 163 students between 10 and 12 years old, of which 80 were boys (49.07%) and 83 girls (50.07%) covered the questionnaire of the Self-Report of Motives for the Practice of Physical Exercise (AMPEF) and the results obtained showed differences statistically significant in the gender factor in weight and body image (p = .022), competition (p < .001), muscular strength and endurance (p = .001) and health urgency (p = .037). Schoolchildren show a motivation for the practice of activity influenced by weight and body image, competition, muscular strength and endurance, these motivations being greater in boys, and the urgency of health in girls.

Analysis of the Motivation of Students of the Last Cycle of Primary School in the Subject of Physical Education

“…Regarding possible differences by gender, it is observed in Table 3 that there are significant differences in the intrinsic, identified and external dimensions with p-values < 0.01. In the case of intrinsic motivation, males present higher values than females, a fact already advanced by Mecías et al when they proposed that 5th and 6th grade male students showed more motivation than girls towards physical activity [31]. Higher scores were also obtained from males in identified motivation, especially in external motivation, where the males tend to be more concerned with being superior in order to meet with people's approval.…”

Differences on Habitual Physical Activity Index in Primary Schoolchildren according to Age and Gender

“…These programs in primary schools, based on cooking classes, health education, and work on eating disorders, have been shown to be effective in changing the behaviour of school-age children, making the school the best setting to intervene and decrease childhood obesity rates [20,21]. On the other hand, strategies and programs focused on increasing levels of physical activity both inside and outside the school context should favor or develop an increase in the enjoyment of the physical activity carried out and the appearance of feelings of self-efficacy [22][23][24][25]. Active recesses, active learning in the classroom, and complementary activities related to physical activity or activities that require the participation of the educational community, have also confirmed an increase in levels of physical activity in non-teaching moments and in the leisure time of schoolchildren [15,26].…”