Influence of motivational processes on enjoyment, boredom and intention to persist in young sportspersons

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the influence of motivational processes on enjoyment, boredom and intention to persist in the sport context. A total of 985 sportspersons ranging in age from 10 to 16 years (14.34±2.52), and from 24 different sport modalities participated in the research. A structural equation model was constructed using the robust maximum likelihood estimation. The model showed that the perception of ‘support and satisfaction’ of the basic psychological needs for competence predicted autonomous motivation. Both of these variables also emerged as positive predictors of ‘enjoyment’ and ‘intention to persist’. Moreover, a greater satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for relatedness negatively predicted ‘amotivation’ and, therefore, ‘boredom’. Thus, social factors related to the coach and ‘self-determined motivation’ emerged as positive predictors of ‘enjoyment’ and the ‘intention to persist’ in the sport.

Key words: Youth sport; Self-determination; Basic psychological needs; Persistence.