The study analyzed the motivational differences between physical education students , athletes and non- competitive exercisers . Furthermore , the predictive power of perceived motivational climate and types of motivation on the autotelic experience propensity in the three contexts was examined. Three different samples were used: 895 physical education students, 413 athletes and 727 non-competitive exercisers. Regression analysis showed that task-involving climate and intrinsic motivation positively and significantly predicted the autotelic experience in the three contexts, hence the importance of promoting this type of motivational climate. However , the results revealed that there were motivational differences between the contexts of physical education, competitive sports and non-competitive exercise . The results are discussed in relation to the different features (e.g. competitive, recreational, voluntary or obligatory) surrounding the physical activity in each of the contexts compared in this study .