A multi-theoretical approach of the students' motivational profiles in physical education: achievement and social goals.

Background: The objective was to analyze the joint profiles of social goals (responsibility, relation and friendship) and 2 x 2 achievement goals, and the pattern of their relationship with the motivation types of the self-determination continuum in Physical Education settings.

Method: The sample consisted of 516 Secondary Education students (267 men, 249 women) aged between 12 and 17 years old ( M = 14.48, SD = 1.59). Cluster analysis and a MANOVA 2 (gender) x 4 (goal profiles) were performed.

Results: Cluster analysis showed four motivational profiles: "high social and mastery-approach goals", "intermediate social goals", "high social and achievement goals", and "low social and intermediate achievement goals". The "high social and mastery-approach goals" cluster was shown to be the most self-determined, followed by the "high social and achievement goals" cluster.

Conclusion: This research emphasizes the value of social goals and helps to understand the motivational profiles of physical education students from a more holistic framework. It suggests that responsibility, friendship, and relation goals should be prioritized along with mastery-approach goals (but not performance goals) in order to increase students' self-determined motivation in Physical Education.