Autonomous Motivation in the Indonesian Classroom: Relationship with Teacher Support Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Abstract

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that teacher autonomy, competence, and relatedness support are crucial universal promotors for students’ interest in learning, which is in line with the general aims of positive education. This study examines the relationship between the three dimensions of students’ perception of Indonesian teachers´ autonomy, competence, and relatedness support and students’ perceived autonomous motivation in secondary education (Grades 10–12). Particularly the relative importance of the three dimensions of teacher support on two types of autonomous motivation (identified versus intrinsic) were explored. The three dimensions of teacher support (N teacher = 202) were measured with the Teacher as Social Context questionnaire, and the Questionnaire on Motivational Dimension was used to measure the students’ autonomous motivation (N students = 4396). Results show that teacher autonomy, competence, and relatedness support are all related to the Indonesian students’ autonomous motivation. Compared to findings from the Western context, the relative importance of autonomy support was shown to be less salient. This is in line with some other Asian studies. The relative importance of autonomy support seems to vary amongst different countries within Asia. We conclude that the three teaching support dimensions are relevant for autonomous motivation of Indonesian students, which confirms the applicability of SDT for the Indonesian context.