Exploring the relationship between Black high school students’ external regulation and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

Self-determination theory (SDT) asserts that motivation types, ranging from controlled to autonomous, are independent forms of motivation that differentially emerge from psychological need satisfaction or frustration. While research with predominantly white samples has supported this claim, theory and some research suggest that external regulation may stimulate intrinsic motivation in Black students. In the present investigation, we explored the extent to which daily controlled forms of motivation related to daily autonomous forms of motivation for Black and white samples. Finding the starkest contrasts in the relationships between external regulation and intrinsic motivation, we also explored the potential mediating role of daily psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness). Using hierarchical daily diary data from 21 Black and 70 white high school students, we created a series of three-level random effects models to address our research questions. We found that on days when Black students’ external regulation was higher than their personal average, they experienced increased in intrinsic motivation since their last science class, which was not true for white students. Mediation analyses revealed that higher external regulation led to increases in intrinsic motivation via psychological need satisfaction for Black students (but not for white students). The results of this study suggest that race may partially explain the inconsistent relationships observed between intrinsic motivation and controlled forms of extrinsic motivation across prior research. Findings highlight the need to better incorporate understandings of race into motivation theory and research in order to support Black students’ success.