Students’ motivational trajectories in vocational education: Effects of a self-regulated learning environment

Abstract

Motivation is central for successful learning processes and lifelong learning. In the present study, the motivational development of vocational students in a learning environment promoting self-regulated learning (SRL) was examined in comparison to a control group with regular, teacher-centered instruction. The first aim was to examine the development of the dispositional and situational motivation of vocational students. The second aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the students' motivational experiences and the factors of the learning environment that promote and impede motivation. For this purpose, a mixed-methods design was applied. Through multilevel analysis, we investigated the development of dispositional motivation between the beginning and the end of the first year of vocational education (N = 159), as well as the development of situational motivation over the first 14 weeks using weekly motivation measures (N = 119). In addition, we interviewed 19 students from the SRL-promoting and regular school settings. The quantitative results revealed significant changes in dispositional and situational motivation over time. The qualitative results showed that the three basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) were central determinants of the students’ motivation in both learning environments—albeit to varying extents. Overall, the SRL-promoting learning environment has positive effects on student motivation, but interindividual differences must be considered. Moreover, the results shed light on the coexistence of different motivation regulations within students and interindividual differences in the interpretation of the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs.