Effects of Supporting the Need for Novelty in Physical Education on Students’ Motivation and Intention to Participate in Physical Activity

Introduction: The participation of students in regular physical activity (PA) is a crucial aspect of their overall health. Therefore, it is important to identify factors or conditions that can increase their engagement in such activities.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the impact of supporting the need for novelty on motivation and intention to engage in PA. Methods: The research employed a descriptive-correlation method and involved 384 middle school students, comprising of 192 boys and 192 girls. Standard questionnaires were used to collect data, which were then analyzed using the structural equation method.  Results: The results of the path analysis revealed that supporting the need for novelty positively and significantly influenced the satisfaction of psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, relatedness, and novelty, as well as autonomous motivation. However, it had an inverse and significant effect on controlled motivation. Furthermore, autonomous motivation had a positive and significant impact on the intention to engage in PA, while controlled motivation had an inverse and significant effect on this intention.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of incorporating novelty in physical education (PE) to motivate students to participate in PA. Therefore, it is crucial for PE teachers to adopt teaching styles that support the need for novelty.