Editorial: Psychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport

Effects of school-based interventions on motivation towards physical activity in children and adolescents: Protocol for a systematic review

Background Recent studies have observed low levels of physical activity in children and adolescents worldwide. Physical activity interventions are increasingly carried out to counteract this development. The school environment is an ideal setting for such interventions to take place as large numbers of children and adolescents can be addressed. With the assumption that motivation is the key to initiate and sustain beneficial health behaviors, theory-based intervention studies apply motivational strategies to increase students’ participation in physical activity. The main objective of this systematic review will be to analyze the effects of school-based physical activity interventions on a v…

Direct intervention through biofeedback, to change disheartening conducts in a soccer goalkeeper

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir una intervención, que buscaba modificar el comportamiento de un portero en relación con los errores que cometía, pues tras recibir un gol, se desanimaba y no dejaba de centrarse en el error cometido. Esta atención en el error cometido le hacía tardar de volver a tener un comportamiento adecuado para cumplir su función en el juego. Esta intervención se realizó mediante biofeedback, técnicas de control emocional y técnicas para el manejo de la atención y la concentración. Dado que es una intervención sobre un portero de 18 años de fútbol once, solicitada por el entrenador, se utilizó un estudio de caso único. De acuerdo con los resultados descriptivos …

Effects of school-based interventions on motivation towards physical activity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Assuming that motivation is the key to initiate and sustain beneficial health behaviors, the aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effects of school-based physical activity interventions on a variety of motivational outcomes towards PA in school-aged children and adolescents. Methods A comprehensive literature search was carried out in six electronic databases to identify randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials examining the effects of PA interventions implemented during the regular school day, e.g., during physical education lessons or lunch breaks. Primary outcomes of interest were students' motivation, basic psychological needs, goal orientation…

Intervenção direta através de biofeedback, para mudança de comportamentos de desmotivação de um guarda redes de futebol

The aim of this work is to describe an intervention which sought to modify the behavior of a goalkeeper in relation to the errors he committed, after receiving a goal, he became disheartened, and could not stop concentrating on the error committed. This attention paid to the error committed delayed a return to having adequate behavior in order to fulfil his function in the game. This intervention was carried out through biofeedback, techniques of emotional control and techniques to manage attention and concentration. Given that the intervention was carried out on an eighteen year old goalkeeper, at the request of the trainer, a study of a unique case was used. In accordance with the descrip…

The Influence of an Enriched Sport Program on Children’s Sport Motivation in the School Context: The ESA PROGRAM

Purpose: Besides the evident positive effect on body development, physical activity has proven to boost executive functions, especially if the exercises are enriched with cognitive stimuli. Previous studies have shown that introducing challenging exercises in the physical activity routine can also enhance motivation. Therefore, enriching a physical education program with cognitively challenging exercises may also foster children’s motivation during physical education classes, where the motivation is high at the beginning of the school year and low at the end of it. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to test if a sport program enriched by cognitive stimuli may improve kids’ motivation o…

Sport Intervention Programs (SIPs) to Improve Health and Social Inclusion in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review.

Inactivity is a major issue that causes physical and psychological health problems, especially in people with intellectual disability (ID). This review discusses the beneficial effects of sport intervention programs (SIPs) in people with ID, and aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature in order to identify the main factors influencing the participation of people with ID in SIPs. Twelve papers were analyzed and compared. The results show a large variety in examined SIPs, concerning participants’ age and disability, intervention characteristics and context, as well as measures and findings. The main factors essential for people with ID partaking in SIPs appeared to be suitabl…

Cognitive and motivational monitoring during enriched sport activities in a sample of children living in Europe. The ESA program

Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) Program is an Evidence-based Practice Exercise Program cofounded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union (Key action: Sport-579661-EPP-1-2016-2-IT-SPO-SCP). It aims to enhance social inclusion, equal opportunities and psycho-physical wellbeing in children with typical development and special needs. This aim will be pursued through two ways: (1) Children and preadolescents’ participation in Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) Program; (2) Parents’ involvement and education on cognitive, motivational and social benefits of Physical Activities (PA) in their children. Recent research showed that high-level cognitive processes, such as inhibition, shifting, w…

Effects of a Motivational Climate on Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Motivation and Commitment in Teen Handball Players

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the motivational climate created by the coach and perceived by a group of young high-performance handball players on their sport motivation, self-determination, sport psychological needs and sport commitment. The study participants were 479 young handball players. The age range was 16&ndash