Abstract
This research aimed to determine the causal relationship of interconnected variables particularly, sleep quality, social support, basic psychological needs satisfaction and behavioral regulation in exercise among students in the Special Program for Sports in Region XI utilizing quantitative research that employed descriptive-correlational design with path analysis in the treatment of data. Three hundred seventy junior high school students under a special program for sports were selected through purposive sampling technique. Moreover, a set of survey questionnaires were used as instruments to obtain information from the respondents. Mean and standard deviation, Pearson-r, and path analysis were used for the treatment of data. The findings revealed that the sleep quality of the students is moderate. Social support and basic psychological needs satisfactions were high. On the other hand, the behavioral regulation in exercise is moderate. Furthermore, the social support and basic psychological needs satisfaction were highly correlated with behavioral regulation in exercise. Finally, the best fit model, social support, has a direct influence on the behavioral regulation in exercise. Sleep quality has an indirect influence on basic psychological needs satisfaction. Also, the basic psychological needs satisfaction has indirect influence on social support. The best fitting model for the behavior regulation in exercise was best anchored on social support.
