BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES: THE POTENTIALS OF THE SPORT EDUCATION MODEL

The Basic Psychological Needs (BPN) -autonomy, competence and relatedness -are a micro-theory of the Self -Determination Theory (SDT). In the school environment, the BPNs can be either achieved or thwarted, and the Sport Education Model (SEM) is a teaching model that seems to enhance their achievement. The aim of this investigation was to find out the impacts of a SEM intervention on the achievement of the BPNs of students in the early years of elementary school. This was a pedagogical intervention study. Seventeen students from a fourth-grade class participated. The following were performed for data collection: a) questionnaire administration and b) texts written by the students, which revealed the elements that pointed to the achievement of the BPNs. We concluded that student-centered teaching models, such as the SEM, enhance the achievement of the BPNs and improve students' autonomy, social relations and responsibility, while developing greater motivation in the classroom.