ABSTRACT During the pandemic, school and university students had to urgently move away from traditional classrooms to online learning in their homes. Student engagement that can be explained by self-determination theory (SDT) is important in online learning. Indeed, the founders of SDT recently stated that SDT-based future research should look closely at how to satisfy the basic needs in the theory in technology enhanced learning environments. We also know very little about K-12 student engagement in online learning. Therefore, this qualitative study used the SDT as a framework to understand K-12 school student engagement and disengagement in online learning. It used a thematic analysis to analyse interview data from 36 students and 18 teachers. The findings highlight that (i) online learning environments that supported more autonomy were more likely to engage students cognitively in developing two important lifelong skills of digital literacy and self-regulated learning; and (ii) those environments that lacked emotional attachment, equipment and resources, coupled with perceived digital incompetence and ineffective learning experience of the students suppressed cognitive and emotional engagement. Hence, this study suggests how to satisfy the need for competence and relatedness to prepare and implement online learning.

The present study focused on an in-depth understanding of student motivation and self-regulated learning in mathematics and science through cluster analysis. It examined the different learning profiles of motivational beliefs and self-regulatory strategies in relation to perceived teacher autonomy support, basic psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness), motivational regulations, and academic achievement. Grounded in self-determination theory, this study examined the learning profiles of 782 students from eight secondary schools in Singapore. The cluster analyzes revealed four distinct learning profiles, and they were compared in association with perceived teacher autonomy support, needs satisfaction, motivational regulations, and grades. Cluster profiling enables teachers to have better understanding of their students’ self-regulated learning so that they can apply effective teaching strategies to foster their motivation. The findings offer a perspective to secondary students’ psychological needs along with some insights into their perceived task value and self-efficacy in the contexts of mathematics and science.

The end of first year in secondary mathematics education is an important yet neglected milestone in the literature. It represents a crucial period in a students’ mathematical lifetime when they have negotiated the physical, academic and emotional bridges between primary and secondary education, bridges which have been shown to impact considerably on students’ performance and attitudes to mathematics. This study, which investigated students’ motivation in mathematics and their willingness to engage in it including attitudes, emotions and self-related beliefs at the end of students’ first year of secondary education in Ireland, formed part of a larger study on student transition in mathematics from primary to secondary education in Ireland. It is the first study of its kind since the introduction of a new mathematics curriculum in Ireland in 2010. Using a large sample of 304 students, the data was analyzed for all students and also for students grouped by gender. The results of this study show high levels of student engagement, motivation and positive self-belief in mathematics, despite recorded declines in mathematical performance after a full year’s instruction. This study also highlights a gender disparity in mathematics self-beliefs, particularly in relation to self-efficacy, self-concept, and anxiety.

Background: Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of motivations distinguishes between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation is observed when one engages in an activity out of genuine interest and is truly self-determined. Intrinsic motivation is the desired type of motivation for study as it is associated with deep learning, better performance and positive well-being in comparison to extrinsic motivation. It is dependent on the fulfilment of three basic psychological needs described by SDT. These are the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. According to SDT, autonomy-supportive teaching is important, because it makes students feel autonomous and competent in their learning and also supported (relatedness) by their teachers.Aim: The concept of autonomy-supportive teaching is relevant to medical education, but less known. Through this article, we aim to make this concept understood and practically used by medical teachers.Methods: We used SDT literature as a basis to formulate these 12 tips.Results: We present 12 practical tips derived from SDT, for teachers in health professions, on how to engage in autonomy-supportive teaching behaviours in order to stimulate intrinsic motivation in their students.Conclusion: These tips demonstrate that it is not difficult to engage in autonomy-supportive teaching behaviour. It can be learned through practice and self-reflection on teaching practices.

According to the self-determination theory, autonomy-supportive teaching is considered an effective approach to motivate students to learn. The present study investigates the effect of students’ perceived autonomy support on math achievement over time, i.e. from grades 4 to 6, using a longitudinal survey administered in Chinese elementary schools. A total of 1624 participants were assessed over four waves. Autonomy need satisfaction and classroom engagement were included as predictors of achievement growth. Latent growth curve modelling (LGCM) indicated that perceived autonomy support accounted for more variance in mathematics achievement among 4th- and 5th-grade students than it did for 6th-grade students. Furthermore, student autonomy need satisfaction positively predicted the growth rate of their achievement, while behavioural engagement significantly and positively predicted both the growth rate and the average initial level of mathematics achievement.

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) as a subject in K-12 education is a new and important global strategic initiative, but there is a serious lack of studies in relation to this initiative that address inclusion and diversity of education. Self-determination theory (SDT) can explain student engagement from the needs satisfaction perspective. Therefore, this project aimed to investigate how SDT-based needs support by teachers and student attributes (gender and achievement level) affect AI learning at secondary school level. It adopted a two-study design, with each study using a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design with student needs support from teachers as one factor and one of the student attributes as the other: gender in Study 1 and achievement level in Study 2. In both studies, there were two groups – SDT-based (teacher needs support) and control (without). The analyses revealed that in the SDT-based program, (1) the students had a more positive perception of AI learning and felt that their needs were satisfied, and (2) there were non-significant differences in AI learning between boys and girls and between high and low achievers. The findings suggest that a focus on needs satisfaction could engage boys and girls, and high and low achievers in AI learning. As they become more engaged, they are likely to gain more confidence, feel that the content is more relevant, and become intrinsically motivated to pursue further AI learning.

Teaching senior secondary mathematics presents a number of challenges, such as provision of a prescribed curriculum, homework expectations and preparing students for externally imposed high-stakes assessment tasks. In order to address these challenges, an increasing number of senior secondary mathematics teachers are incorporating a flipped classroom approach into their teaching. While enactments of the approach vary, it typically involves delegating the more routine instructional mathematical content as homework videos, allowing for more targeted in-class teaching. Traditionally in the domain of tertiary teaching, it is becoming more common in secondary school settings and seems to address students’ needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness, which comprise self-determination theory (SDT). This paper looks at a case study undertaken with an Australian grade 12 class where the teacher utilised a flipped classroom approach to teach mathematics 2. Data were collected through an online survey, interviews and classroom observations. The results showed that SDT was an appropriate lens to analyse participants’ experiences of the approach, with the teacher being a particularly strong influence on students’ motivation for engaging with the approach. The study adds to the limited literature on examining enactments of the flipped classroom in senior secondary mathematics contexts and has implications for practice in terms of identifying the practices and factors which influence students’ motivations for engaging in mathematics classes.

AbstractThis study examines the relationships among students' perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, self‐determined motivation, and achievement across two different undergraduate Calculus learning environments at the same institution. Furthermore, it also exposits how learning environments are not culturally or socially neutral by establishing clear evidence that one learning environment offered motivational support and associated achievement gains to specific demographic groups while diminishing motivation and achievement for others. To accomplish this, we applied constructs from Self‐Determination Theory (SDT) within a quasi‐experimental design (N = 6866), controlling for prior math knowledge, in both Calculus I and Calculus II over seven semesters. We use this information to advance the broad notion of student‐centeredness and identify the role of motivational processes by which undergraduate Calculus learning environments function. We propose using motivational frameworks as a tool for defining and measuring student‐centeredness relative to individual students, or student groups, rather than to students as a monolith.

Physical education is considered to be a favorable context for accomplishment of important educational outcomes and promotion of physical activity in children and youth. The real scope of physical education instruction largely depends on student motivation. Self-determination theory, as a specific macrotheory of motivation, offers a rewarding framework for understanding student motivation in physical education instruction. The paper presents the basic tenets of self-determination theory, the most important studies in the domain of physical education and didactic and methodical implications. Two mini-theories within the self-determination theory are analyzed in more detail, the cognitive evaluation theory and the organismic integration theory. Empirical verification of the theoretical tenets indicates the existence of typical motivational profiles of students in physical education instruction, the basic psychological needs as mediators of influence of social and interpersonal factors on student motivation, followed by the importance of motivational climate, students' goal orientations and teaching style for self-determination of students' behavior in physical education instruction. Didactic and methodical implications refer to the need for developing a more flexible curriculum of physical education, encouraging a motivational climate, task-focused goal orientations, and, especially, encouraging the perceived moving competence of the student.

The purpose of this research is to empirically examine the role of self-regulated learning and student engagement in academic activities in math achievement. The research design used is a correlational survey. The subjects of this study are students at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri in Yogyakarta. The research sample was selected using a proportional stratified random sampling technique, with a total of 96 students. Math achievement was determined from students' daily evaluations, and data were collected using a self-regulated learning scale and a scale of student engagement in academic activities. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. According to the findings, self-regulated learning and student engagement in academic activities significantly predict math achievement. Both self-regulated learning and student engagement in academic activities have a positive impact on math achievement. The combined contribution of self-regulated learning and student academic engagement to mathematics achievement is 37.1%. Self-regulated learning contributes more (17.39%) than academic engagement (19.77%) to mathematics achievement. This study recommends that students, teachers, and parents pay attention to self-regulated learning and student engagement factors.