Applying self-determination theory in Physical Education: a systematic review

Introduction: Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was used as a lens to explore the profound impact of primary and secondary physical education students’ motivation on their learning experiences, academic performance, and long-term exercise habits. In recent years, the application of SDT in the field of physical education has made great strides. However, several critical gaps remain unaddressed: 1) the differential effects of autonomy, competence, and relatedness support on specific learning outcomes have not been systematically quantified; 2) the moderating role of cultural contexts on SDT effectiveness lacks comprehensive analysis; and 3) the long-term sustainability of SDT-based interventions in diverse PE settings remains underexplored. Methodology: In this study, we used bibliometric methods, following the PRISMA principle, screening the subject terms from the Web of Science, Scopus, Dialnet, Redalyc, and Google Academic databases and analyzing a total of 105 papers to comprehensively explore the effects of SDT on physical skills, physical activities, affective attitudes and cognitive learning. Results: The study found that there is a large agreement at considering that intrinsic motivation positively affects students’ behaviour, self-identity, self-perception, and transformation of experiential knowledge. Also, intrinsic motivation was strongly associated with positive outcomes such as motor skill development, physical activity engagement, emotional attitudes, and cognitive learning. In contrast, introjected and external regulation were linked to short-term engagement but lower long-term adherence. Discussion: The adoption of SDT-informed teaching strategies was shown to foster autonomy-supportive environments and enhance student motivation. SDT offers a robust theoretical framework for improving PE pedagogy, informing curriculum design, instructional strategies, and assessment systems. Conclusions: This review systematically analyzes current research trends and learning outcomes in different fields, including the role of motivation in skill acquisition and cognitive learning, cross-cultural validity, and the lack of longitudinal data on SDT-based interventions, and discusses possible challenges and prospects in the future.