Abstract

The objective of the study was to analyze the relationships between motivational profiles in a sample of 819 adolescent physical education students and the time spent on doing sport and physical activity outside school hours. The Learning and Performance Orientation in Physical Education Questionnaire (LAPOPEQ), the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) and the Importance of Physical Education scale (IPE) as perceived by pupils were completed. The cluster analysis showed three motivational profiles: the “self-determined profile”, formed by subjects who perceived a climate that placed more emphasis on the importance of effort, personal improvement and the development of skills (task climate) and high intrinsic motivation; the “non self-determined profile”, formed by subjects with moderate amotivation and who perceived a climate that gave priority to the demonstration of personal capacity and performance (ego climate), and, finally, the “low-motivated profile”, formed by people who obtain the lowest values (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, motivational climate and importance and usefulness attached to physical education). The students that do more exercise and spend the most time on exercising were associated with the self-determined profile. These results can help to establish intervention programs to try to reduce the sport drop-out rate in adolescents.