Perceptions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, perceived enjoyment, and perceived effort in physical education among middle school students in Saudi Arabia
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, King Saud University , ,
- 2School of Kinesiology, Auburn University , , ,
- 3College of Education, Kuwait University , ,
- 4Department of Teacher Education, College of Education and Human Services, Valdosta State University , , ,
- 5College of Applied Health Sciences, Health and Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urban-Champaign , , ,
Abstract
Purpose: To examine middle school students' perceptions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, enjoyment, and effort in physical education (PE) in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive-comparative design was employed.
Participants were 188 male students aged 11–15 years from four middle schools in Riyadh. Students completed validated measures of autonomy, competence, relatedness, enjoyment, and effort in PE.
Results: Students reported high levels of relatedness, competence, enjoyment, and effort, while perceptions of autonomy were comparatively lower. No significant differences were found by nationality or grade level. However, students who participated in two PE lessons per week reported significantly greater psychological needs satisfaction and enjoyment than those receiving one lesson per week. Basic psychological needs satisfaction was positively associated with both enjoyment and effort.
Discussion/Conclusion: The findings suggest that PE in Saudi middle schools provides an environment that generally supports students' relatedness and competence and is associated with high levels of enjoyment and effort. Autonomy, however, appears to be less well supported. Greater use of autonomy-supportive teaching practices may enhance students' experiences in PE, strengthen alignment with national curriculum goals, and contribute to the development of positive attitudes toward lifelong physical activity.
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BibTeX
@article{alshuraymi2026perceptions,
title = {{Perceptions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, perceived enjoyment, and perceived effort in physical education among middle school students in Saudi Arabia}},
author = {Ali N. Alshuraymi and Peter A. Hastie and Omar Albaloul and Fabian Correia and Kevin Andrew Richards},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1974892},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13728856},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceptions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, perceived enjoyment, and perceived effort in physical education among middle school students in Saudi Arabia
AU - Ali N. Alshuraymi
AU - Peter A. Hastie
AU - Omar Albaloul
AU - Fabian Correia
AU - Kevin Andrew Richards
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1974892
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13728856
AB - Purpose: To examine middle school students' perceptions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, enjoyment, and effort in physical education (PE) in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive-comparative design was employed. Participants were 188 male students aged 11–15 years from four middle schools in Riyadh. Students completed validated measures of autonomy, competence, relatedness, enjoyment, and effort in PE. Results: Students reported high levels of relatedness, competence, enjoyment, and effort, while perceptions of autonomy were comparatively lower. No significant differences were found by nationality or grade level. However, students who participated in two PE lessons per week reported significantly greater psychological needs satisfaction and enjoyment than those receiving one lesson per week. Basic psychological needs satisfaction was positively associated with both enjoyment and effort. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings suggest that PE in Saudi middle schools provides an environment that generally supports students' relatedness and competence and is associated with high levels of enjoyment and effort. Autonomy, however, appears to be less well supported. Greater use of autonomy-supportive teaching practices may enhance students' experiences in PE, strengthen alignment with national curriculum goals, and contribute to the development of positive attitudes toward lifelong physical activity.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -