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Using Self-Determination Theory to Explain Sport Persistence and Dropout in Adolescent Athletes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Tomás García Calvo ,
Eduardo Cervelló ,
Ruth Jiménez ,
Damián Iglesias  and
Juan Antonio Moreno Murcia
Tomás García Calvo*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Eduardo Cervelló
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain)
Ruth Jiménez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Damián Iglesias
Affiliation:
Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
Juan Antonio Moreno Murcia
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tomás García Calvo. Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte. Universidad de Extremadura. Avenida de la Universidad s/n. 10071 Cáceres. (Spain). E-mail: tgarciac@unex.es
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Abstract

Motivational characteristics are influential in shaping adolescents' desire to persist in sport or to discontinue their sport participation. Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) was utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. This theory examines whether sustained participatory involvement, defined as continued participation in the sport through the next year, was influenced by individuals' self-determined motivation and by the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Four hundred ninety two soccer players between the ages of 13 and 17 years comprised the sample. Results indicated sport dropout was explained by higher levels of amotivation, external regulation, and introjected regulation and by lower satisfaction of relatedness and autonomy needs. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge base on sport dropout as they supported many of self-determination theory.

Los aspectos motivacionales poseen una gran importancia sobre la persistencia o el abandono de la práctica deportiva en los adolescentes. En este estudio, partiendo de la teoría de la autodeterminación (Deci y Ryan, 2000), se trató de comprobar cómo incidían en la persistencia o el abandono los diferentes tipos de motivación y las necesidades psicológicas básicas de autonomía, competencia y relaciones sociales. En el estudio participaron 492 futbolistas, con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y 19 años. Los resultados demuestran que el abandono es explicado por altos niveles de desmotivación, motivación externa e introyectada, y bajos niveles de satisfacción con la autonomía y las relaciones sociales. Estos hallazgos pueden contribuir a conocer mejor el abandono deportivo y minimizarlo a partir de las propuestas de la teoría de autodeterminación.

Keywords

motivationautonomyrelatednesscompetencedropoutsportmotivaciónautonomíarelacionescompetenciaabandonodeporte
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , November 2010 , pp. 677 - 684
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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