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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1481417
This article is part of the Research Topic Psychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume V View all 3 articles

Effects of a play-based approach on psychosocial variables in federated long-and middle-distance athletes

Provisionally accepted
Alfonso Valero-Valenzuela Alfonso Valero-Valenzuela 1*Luz Amelia Hoyos cuartas Luz Amelia Hoyos cuartas 2Diego Andrés Heredia-León Diego Andrés Heredia-León 3Patxi León Guereño Patxi León Guereño 4
  • 1 University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
  • 2 Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
  • 3 Catholic University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
  • 4 University of Deusto, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Considering the theory of self-determination and its relationship with human motivation and the play-based approach (PBA), a training program is implemented in young middle and long-distance running athletes with play activities (simple tasks with rules in a ludic mood). The objectives were 1) to analyze the effects of a PBA on the autonomy support interpersonal teaching style (ASITS) perceived by athletes, the psychological variables of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, motivation, enjoyment and intention to continue practicing athletics and depending on sex, and 2) know the athletes' perception of this methodology after the intervention.Method: Quasi-experimental design with a sample of 50 athletes (27 women and 23 men) with 17.22 average of age and federated at the regional level. Instruments:Autonomy Support Scale (ASS), Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (PNSE), Behavior Regulation in Sports Questionnaire (BRSQ), Measure of Intention to be Physically Active (MIPA) and Intrinsic Satisfaction in Sports Questionnaire (ISSQ).Results: Significant changes were identified in favor of the experimental group compared to the control group in ASITS and autonomous motivation. Over time, only the experimental group showed positive changes in the ASITS variable, selfdetermination index, autonomous motivation, and intention to continue practicing athletics. The women in the experimental group presented higher values in the selfdetermination index, autonomous motivation and intention to continue practicing athletics, while the women in the control group only in the ASITS variable in the pretest. The young people who practiced playing during the warm-up reported high levels of fun and motivation, and interest in the activity, as well as concern about being prepared for the main part of the session. Discussion: It is suggested to athletic trainers to use a PBA in athletics groups at a regional level to promote an ASITS and its positive consequences at both a psychosocial and cognitive level, although new studies are required, and of longer duration to be able to contrast these findings and their effects on athletic performance.

    Keywords: Interpersonal teaching style, Track and Field, self-determination theory, Motivation, Play activities

    Received: 15 Aug 2024; Accepted: 26 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Valero-Valenzuela, Hoyos cuartas, Heredia-León and Guereño. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Alfonso Valero-Valenzuela, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

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