Influence of physical activity in the natural environment on the motivation and the basic psychological needs of students: a systematic review

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to carry out a systematic review on the research that carried out some intervention to promote motivation as well as the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of students, through the physical activity in the natural environment; and describe and analyze them. The PRISMA Declaration guidelines were followed in order to carry out a systematic review, which was conducted in four databases (SportDiscuss, Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed). 80 studies were identified, with a further four located in the references of other papers. Finally, only 4 manuscripts met the eligibility criteria. The results reveal that the physical activity in the natural environment is postulated as a means favouring the three basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation.