The role of autonomy support from teachers in young learners’ self-regulation in dyadic contexts: An examination through three-level multilevel analysis

Abstract

BackgroundAutonomy-supportive contexts are thought to promote students’ self-regulation. However, research looking at this link empirically, in naturalistic dyadic contexts and in young learners, is scarce. AimsTo address this gap, we adopted an observational approach and investigated whether autonomy-supportive teaching is related to pupils’ self-regulation in one-to-one music lessons. We explored specific aspects of positive self-regulation and the under-researched area of failures in self-regulation. Sample22 teachers and their 42 pupils (aged 5–11). MethodsWe video-recorded each teacher-pupil dyad during a one-to-one lesson, and 231 observation segments were collected. ResultsUsing 3-level multilevel modelling and DSEM (observations nested within pupils nested within teachers), our findings indicated that teachers' autonomy support is positively related with pupils' positive self-regulation, and negatively related to pupils’ failures in self-regulation. We also identified which specific autonomy-supportive behaviours were related to self-regulation. ConclusionsThis study can inform teaching practice and inspire further research into learners' self-regulation and teachers’ autonomy support.