Gómez López, ManuelMendoza Castejón, DanielFrías López, DanielManzano Sánchez, David2025-11-052025-11-052025Gómez-López, M., Mendoza-Castejón, D., Frías-López, D., & Manzano-Sánchez, D. (2025). Self-determination in secondary school students and their relationship with emotional intelligence and support for autonomy. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1571559. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.15715591664-1078https://hdl.handle.net/11268/16441In secondary education, a period characterized by multiple psychological, behavioral, and social changes in young people, academic motivation tends to decrease. This study focuses on physical education (PE) classes as a key space to positively influence students’ motivation and emotional development, based on the SelfDetermination Theory (SDT). This theory emphasizes the importance of satisfying three basic psychological needs (BPN): competence, autonomy, and social relationships, which in turn favor intrinsic motivation (IM) and emotional wellbeing. The findings highlight the need for adapted pedagogical strategies that promote autonomy, a positive climate and gender equity to maximize the positive impact of PE classes on the integral development of adolescents. In conclusion, PE classes can play a crucial role in improving student motivation and wellbeing if they are structured in a way that supports BPN and fosters an inclusive and motivating learning environment.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal article10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1571559open accessCiencias de la educaciónDeportePsicologíaGoal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 4: Quality educationGoal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls