Effects Of Autonomous Motivation Research Articles

Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment and Autonomous Motivation as Predictors of Students’ Achievement Emotions in Relation to Learning for Baccalaureate Exam

"Achievement emotions constitute an important individual variable in the complex process of self-regulated learning, through its effects not only on student's well-being, but also on academic performance. Exploring the individual and contextual correlates of this type of emotions experienced by students in the educational environment is important for both improving the learning climate and developing an optimal self-regulation. In this study, the analysis of data obtained from a number of 365 participants showed that students' perceived classroom assessment environment in the Romanian Language and Literature subject matter in high school is a significant predictor of the emotions experienced by students during learning this subject for baccalaureate exam, beyond the effect of autonomous motivation and previous academic performance. The results showed that perceived learning-oriented assessment environment was positively correlated with students' autonomous motivation. Moreover, it proved to be a positive predictor for the enjoyment in learning, and a negative one for anger and hopelessness, while its correlation with anxiety or boredom was not significant. In contrast, the perceived performance-oriented assessment environment was uncorrelated with students' autonomous motivation and enjoyment, but was confirmed as a positive predictor of anxiety and boredom experienced during individual learning. Finally, the results and some educational implications are discussed."

Relationships between Parenting Behaviors and Adolescents’ Creativity in China: The Mediating Role of Autonomous Motivation

This study used a two-wave, longitudinal design to examine the relationships between parenting behaviors (parental autonomy support, parental behavioral control, and parental psychological control) and Chinese adolescents’ creativity, and the mechanism underlying the relationships. A total of 258 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.35, 48% girls) participated in the present study. The study measured the parenting behaviors received by the participants, their autonomous motivation, and creativity using the Parenting Scale, the Self-Regulatory Style Questionnaire-Academic, and the verbal and figural Divergent Thinking Tests, respectively. Structural equation models revealed that parental autonomy support and parental behavioral control had positive effects on Chinese adolescents’ creativity one year later, whereas the relationship between parental psychological control and creativity one year later was not significant. In addition, parental autonomy support and parental behavioral control contributed to adolescents’ creativity through the mediating effect of autonomous motivation. Findings from the present study help clarify developmental pathways linking parenting behaviors to adolescents’ creativity in Chinese culture.

A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Transfer of Leadership Training: The Role of Leader Motivation

The purpose of the present research was to investigate how leaders’ different types of pretraining motivation may influence transfer of leadership training. Drawing on self-determination theory, we examined the role of autonomous and controlled motivation for short- and long-term transfer in terms of employee-rated improvements of leaders’ need support. Data were collected in conjunction with a leadership training program that was aimed at increasing need support among municipality leaders ( n = 20 leaders and their n = 323 employees), and surveys were sent to leaders and employees before training, posttraining, and 4 months after training. Bayesian multilevel modeling suggests that autonomous (Estimate = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI: 0.030, 0.329]) and controlled (Estimate = 0.08, 95% CI [0.013, 0.150]) premotivation among leaders are related to short-term improvements in need support. Although neither type of motivation had a credible long-term effect on transfer 4 months after the training, the 95% credibility interval indicate that the effect of autonomous motivation (Estimate = 0.13, 95% CI [−0.004, 0.269]) most likely is positive. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of using a theory-based multidimensional perspective on predictors of training transfer and on adding a temporal perceptive on their effects. Our study also points toward the importance of not only fostering autonomous motivation at work but recognizing the potential in controlled motivation.

Predictors of in-school and out-of-school sport injury prevention: A test of the trans-contextual model.

The current study aimed to predict secondary school students’ motivation toward sport injury prevention in “in‐school” and “out‐of‐school” contexts, and their sport injury prevention behavior at 3‐month follow‐up using the trans‐contextual model (TCM). Hong Kong secondary school students (N = 1566; mean age = 13.34 years, range = 11 to 19; female = 49.42%) were recruited. Participants were asked to complete a survey comprising previously validated scales measuring TCM constructs at baseline and a measure of sport injury prevention behavior at follow‐up three months later. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the hypothesized paths among TCM constructs. A SEM specifying hypothesized paths among TCM variables showed acceptable fit with the data (χ2(29) = 418.55, CFI = .93, TLI = .90, and RMSEA = .09, 90% CI [.09, .10], and SRMR = .05). Findings supported tenets of the TCM: the effects of perceived autonomy support from PE teachers on in‐school autonomous motivation toward injury prevention, the trans‐contextual relationship between students' “in‐school” and “out‐of‐school” autonomous motivation toward injury prevention, and the effects of autonomous motivation toward injury prevention on social cognitive variables and subsequent sport injury prevention behaviors. Results supported the tenets proposed within the TCM in predicting students' “in‐school” and “out‐of‐school” autonomous motivation toward sport injury prevention. Findings underscore the potential importance of autonomy support from PE teachers in facilitating students’ sport injury prevention behaviors. Further longitudinal and intervention research is warranted to establish temporal and causal effects of TCM variables in sport injury prevention.

Testing a physical education-delivered autonomy supportive intervention to promote leisure-time physical activity in lower secondary school students: the PETALS trial

BackgroundInadequate physical activity in young people is associated with several physical and mental health concerns. Physical education (PE) is a potentially viable existing network for promoting physical activity in this population. However, little research has been conducted on whether PE teachers can influence students’ engagement in leisure-time physical activity. The present study therefore examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing PE teachers’ autonomy support on students’ leisure-time physical activity (the PETALS trial). The intervention was guided by the trans-contextual model (TCM) explaining the processes by which PE teachers’ provision of autonomy support during PE promotes students’ motivation and engagement in physical activity in their leisure time.MethodsThe study adopted a cluster-randomized, waitlist control intervention design with randomization by school. Participants were PE teachers (N = 29, 44.83%female; M age = 42.83, SD = 9.53 yrs) and their lower secondary school students (N = 502, 43.82%female; M age = 14.52, SD = 0.71 yrs). We measured TCM constructs, including perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure time, beliefs and intentions towards leisure-time physical activity, and physical activity behavior at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-, three-, and six-months. Study hypotheses were tested through a series of ANOVAs and structural equation models using post-intervention and one-month follow-up data.ResultsWe found no changes in TCM constructs or physical activity behavior in either group at post-intervention or at 1 month. Path analyses supported two propositions of the TCM as change variables: perceived autonomy support had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and autonomous motivation in PE had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in leisure time. Although we found a direct effect of autonomous motivation in leisure time on physical activity, we did not find support for the third premise of the TCM that autonomous motivation in leisure time indirectly affects physical activity through beliefs and intentions.ConclusionsCurrent findings did not support the efficacy of the PETALS intervention at changing physical activity behavior and TCM constructs. More research is required to determine whether the TCM predictive validity is supported when other model variables are manipulated through experimental and intervention studies.Trial registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN39374060. Registered 19 July 2018. Prospectively registered.

Achievement motive, autonomous motivation, and attendance at fitness center: A longitudinal prospective study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to test whether achievement motive, autonomous forms of exercise motivation (intrinsic motivation, identified regulation), and controlled forms of exercise motivation (introjected regulation, external regulation) would predict gym attendance over 30 consecutive weeks in a sample of new gym members. DesignA longitudinal prospective study with four distinct measurement occasions was employed. Psychological variables and gym attendance were assessed in the first, fourth, 15th, and 30th week after starting the membership. MethodParticipants were 229 new gym members. The implicit achievement motive was measured using the Picture Story Exercise. The explicit achievement motive and exercise motivations were measured with questionnaires. Gym attendance was obtained via self-reports and also recorded electronically. Multilevel growth modeling was used as the main analysis method. ResultsParticipants overestimated their self-reported gym attendance; the overall gap between self-reported and actual attendance was 39%. The achievement motive did not predict participants’ gym attendance over the 30-week period, neither for self-reported nor for actual. The effect of autonomous motivation was mixed. Intrinsic motivation predicted self-reported, but not actual, gym attendance over the 30-week period, whereas the evolution of intrinsic motivation was unrelated to gym attendance. Identified regulation was unrelated to gym attendance, but the increase in identified motivation over time positively predicted both self-reported and actual gym attendance. Controlled motivation was unrelated to gym attendance. ConclusionsContinuous and regular participation in an exercise program is more likely when individuals enjoy the program and consider it personally important.

The Effects of Autonomous Motivation and Implementation Planning on Dietary Goal Adherence

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine the relationship between type of motivation and adherence to dietary goals among personal training clients, and 2) to explore the relationship between regular implementation planning and adherence to dietary goals. Furthermore, this study seeks to investigate personal training clients’ experiences with dietary change attempts and nutritional advice from PFTs. It is hypothesized that autonomous motivation will be positively correlated with dietary goal adherence, and that autonomous motivation combined with implementation planning will be highly correlated with dietary goal adherence. Methods This 6-week mixed methods study sought out female personal training clients at a public comprehensive university who were interested in improving their dietary habits (n = 19). All participants were presented with information about the DGA and asked to set a daily dietary goal to bring their diet in tighter alignment with those guidelines. They were asked to rate their source of motivation for the goal as either autonomous or controlled. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Control group (C), or (2) Implementation Planning group (IP) both of which tracked goal adherence and reasons for non-adherence on a daily basis. In addition, IP participated in weekly implementation planning sessions. Results Results suggested that participants adhered to their self-selected daily dietary goals approximately 62% of the time, irrespective of group assignment. No significant correlation was found between the source of motivation, implementation planning, and adherence, although the small sample size makes it difficult to determine whether the lack of correlation was valid or due to low statistical power. Conclusions There were no statistically significant correlations found among the motivation, implementation planning, and adherence variables. Furthermore, participants revealed that few PFTs are giving sound, or any, nutritional guidance. Funding Sources No funding sources to report.

Older Adults’ Physical Activity: The Integration of Autonomous Motivation and Theory of Planned Behaviour Constructs

ObjectiveTo examine the motivational processes underpinning Australian older adults’ physical activity.MethodAdults aged 65 years and over (N = 213) completed a questionnaire assessing autonomous motivation and theory of planned behaviour variables (attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control), and a 2‐week follow‐up of their self‐reported physical activity (n = 165).ResultsIn a structural equation model, effects of autonomous motivation on intention were mediated by attitudes and perceived behavioural control, but not subjective norm. The model explained 60% and 46% of the variance in intention and physical activity, respectively.ConclusionThe findings add to current knowledge of motivational processes underpinning physical activity in older adults. Current results indicate that interventions where the value of regular physical activity can be internalised by offering activities that foster feelings of competence, autonomy, and relatedness may be important to consider in increasing physical activity levels of older adults, a group at risk of sedentary behaviours.

Do Both Intrinsic and Identified Motivations Have Long-Term Effects?

This research examined the possible long-term effects of autonomous motivation on educational outcomes in the large scale High School Longitudinal Study 2009 (HSLS:09) data. We used a three-wave cross-lagged model to examine the longitudinal effects of intrinsic and identified motivation on 18,132 students in the mathematics domain and 16,684 students in the science domain. The results showed that intrinsic motivation was a long-term and effective enhancement agent on the subsequent academic performance, self-efficacy, identity, and course effort. In contrast, identified motivation might be sensitive to the contexts and was thus vulnerable to change in the long-term effects. Though identified motivation has positive effects on some immediate educational outcomes and is often regarded as “helpful” motivation, its positive effect is probably short-lived and might not last long in real life educational settings.

The determinants of hospitality employees’ pro-environmental behaviors: The moderating role of generational differences

Seeking to build a deeper understanding of the determinants of hospitality employees’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs), this study explored linkages between employees’ autonomous and external motivations to perform PEBs, environmental concerns, self-efficacy, and employees’ reported PEBs. Hospitality employees (n=432) indicated that autonomous motivation was associated with increases in employees’ environmental concern, self-efficacy, and PEBs. External motivation was significantly related to employees’ levels of environmental concern and PEBs. Employees’ environmental concern levels had positive effects on self-efficacy and PEBs. Self-efficacy was, in turn, positively associated with PEBs. The relationships between these variables were moderated by generational differences (e.g., Gen X and Gen Y) because generational characteristics might lead to formulating distinct generational perceptions in an organizational context. There were significant differences in the effects of autonomous motivation on environmental concern levels and PEBs between Gen X and Gen Y. In addition, the differences in effects of external motivation on environmental concern and PEBs were statistically significant between the two generations. Lastly, the impacts of environmental concern and self-efficacy on PEBs were significantly different between the two generations as well. Overall, our results suggest that the interplay of autonomous motivation, external motivation, environmental concern, and self-efficacy is important to the process of influencing hospitality employees’ PEBs.

Self-determination theory and consumer behavioural change: Evidence from a household energy-saving behaviour study

This study applies self-determination theory and a modified version of the model of goal-directed behaviour (MGB) to explain self-reported household energy-saving behaviours. Online surveys were administered to a panel of 200 consumers who were motivated to save energy in their household. A final path model included positive anticipated emotions, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, past behaviour, intentions and a combination of integrated and identified behavioural regulations (autonomous motivation) to represent greater levels of self-determination as predictors of household energy-saving behaviours. As was expected, the effect of autonomous motivation on behaviour was greater than that of other more established predictors such as intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and past behaviour. Consequently, the importance of building and supporting self-determination to achieve desired energy-saving goals is highlighted. Moreover, the results suggest the importance of including self-determination in other behaviour-prediction contexts.

The trans-contextual model: perceived learning and performance motivational climates as analogues of perceived autonomy support

The trans-contextual model of motivation (TCM) proposes that perceived autonomy support in physical education (PE) predicts autonomous motivation within this context, which, in turn, is related to autonomous motivation and physical activity in leisure-time. According to achievement goal theory perceptions of learning and performance, motivational climate in PE can also affect autonomous motivation in PE. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of an integrated approach of perceptions of motivational climate in PE by incorporating aspects of perceptions of motivational climate from achievement goal frameworks on autonomous motivation in PE within the TCM. High school students (N = 274) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support, perceived learning, and performance motivational climate and autonomous motivation in PE. Follow-up measures of autonomous motivation in a leisure-time context were taken along with measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intentions from the theory of planned behaviour 1 week later. Self-reported physical activity behaviour was measured 5 weeks later. The results of the path analyses indicated that perceived learning climate was the strongest predictor of autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time contexts and mediated the effect of perceived autonomy support on autonomous motivation in PE. Perceived performance climate showed no significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time. Results also confirmed the premises of TCM regarding the effect of autonomous motivation in leisure-time on leisure-time physical activity and the mediating role of the planned behaviour theory variables.

Motivation, affiliation tendency, and affect in early stages of friendship: Self-determination theory

The purpose of this study was to reveal the role of friendship motivation in early stages of friendship. We examined the relationships between friendship motivation and affiliation tendencies and affect in dyadic interactions with unacquainted partners. Thirty-eight university students participated in the study. The participants were paired with a same-sex unacquainted partner and were observed in a dyadic interaction situation. The indices of affiliation tendencies were looking, smiling, and willingness to engage in future interaction with partners. The results showed that autonomous motivation was positively related to looking and willingness to engage in future interaction. Controlled motivation was positively related to negative affect before interaction. The effect of autonomous motivation on friendship formation is discussed.