Need For Autonomy Research Articles

The More COVID-19 Information We Shared; the More Anxious We Got? The Associations Among Social Media Use, Anxiety, and Coping Strategies.

Social media (SM) are crucial channels for the spread of information on COVID-19. However, they have rarely been explored. This study examined three types of social media use (SMU): SM usage time, passive SMU (PSMU), active SMU (ASMU) and investigated the relationships among three type of SMU, anxiety, and coping strategies. We recruited 1,150 adults in Taiwan for this study. Although past research found that ASMU is associated with well-being and that PSMU is associated with negative emotions, the findings of this study indicated that only ASMU could significantly predict anxiety; PSMU and SM usage time could not predict anxiety. The reason may be that individuals with unmet basic needs may depend on ASMU to satisfy their need for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. However, compared with PSMU, ASMU is more likely to be immersed anxiety due to its continuous exposure to COVID-19 news. The results regarding the paths between SMU and coping strategies were similar; a greater predictive coefficient existed between ASMU and avoidant coping, whereas the other two types of SMU were non-significant or weak predictors of coping strategies. Individuals may post things indicating that the pandemic is slowing down or is not scary to reduce their anxiety, deny the severity of issues, and cope with stress. On the whole, this study found that ASMU involving the pandemic can be used to predict psychological consequences and avoidant coping.

Employees’ perception of management control systems as a threat: effects on deliberate ignorance and workplace deviance

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of employees’ perceptions of management control systems (MCS) as a threat on two forms of misconduct: deliberate ignorance and workplace deviance. Drawing on the theory of cognitive dissonance, we predict that a perceived threat is associated with a decrease in workplace deviance but may also trigger unintended consequences, such as deliberate ignorance. Hypotheses are tested using survey data from three large hospitals. Taken together, our results suggest that employees’ perceptions of MCS as a threat have (1) a negative curvilinear effect on workplace deviance and (2) a positive linear association with deliberate ignorance. Additionally, we find that the need for professional autonomy shapes the effect of employees’ perception of MCS as a threat on both forms of misconduct. Overall, by providing new empirical evidence on how employees perceive MCS and their (un)intended consequences, we add to the growing body of research on the effects of control systems on employees’ behaviour.

Autonomy-supportive decision-making in maternity care during prenatal consultations: a qualitative interaction analysis

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to identify mechanisms of autonomy-supportive consultation (ASC) that maternity care professionals use during decision-making in prenatal consultations.DesignThis study was a descriptive, qualitative analysis of...

Testing the Vallerand’s Motivational Sequence in Physical Education: The Invariance of Teachers’ Motivation to Teach

The aims of this study were to test the Vallerand's motivational sequence model in physical education and to examine the invariance of the model across PE teachers’ motivation to teach. The study was conducted with 177 high school PE teachers and their 461 students. Motivation to Teach Scale was applied to PE teachers. “Highly intrinsically motivated” and “highly extrinsically motivated” teachers were determined based on the results obtained from this scale. Two highest intrinsically motivated teachers and three highest extrinsically motivated teachers were reached again and their students’ autonomy support, basic psychological needs satisfaction, situational motivation, subjective vitality, and concentration were assessed. Structural equation modelling and Ward invariant analysis were used for the data analysis. Results showed that the more teachers are intrinsically motivated for her profession, the more their students’ autonomy need satisfaction negatively explains their amotivation level in physical education. Perceived autonomy support is the trigger and autonomy need satisfaction is the most important variable in the whole motivational model. Thus, physical education teachers are recommended to create a lesson environment providing autonomy support and considering autonomy need satisfaction to increase students’ well-being.

Time for a New Atlanticism: The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment and the International Order

ABSTRACT There has been no shortage of critiques of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) signed on 30 December 2020. Many have perceived the CAI as a snub in the face of the Biden administration, which has the potential to jeopardise one of the most important strategic goals of the transatlantic alliance: setting aside four years of Trump’s populist economic policy and working in close coordination with a view to developing a united front to contain China. While the CAI does indeed indicate that the EU considers itself a fully autonomous international economic player, however, such a display of autonomy need not be incompatible with a stronger transatlantic alliance. In fact, the CAI may be an opportunity for the transatlantic alliance to evolve into a partnership among equals that is necessary to successfully navigate the uncharted waters of the coming global (dis)order.

Reconciling editorial independence and public accountability issues in Public Broadcasting Service

A public broadcaster is pulled in two directions: There is the need to be accountable to the public,and the imperative to be editorially independent at the same time. The first implies parametersand control systems; the second points to the need for autonomy. This distinctive tension marksout a key difference between public and private broadcasting (through the public accountabilitycomponent), and between public and government-controlled broadcasting (through the editorialindependence proviso). Several dimensions can be identified in regard to assessing accountabilityand editorial independence, and also to the way that policy can work to integrate these twoapparently contradictory imperatives. In 2004, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)was required in effect to mediate the complex challenges in this tension by formulating detailededitorial policies and systems. The significance of the SABC experience also extends to understandingthe nature of policy more broadly

Making decisions about attainment grouping in mathematics: teacher agency and autonomy in Norway

ABSTRACT Grouping by attainment is a relatively new and contested practice in Norway, where strong historical discourses of heterogeneous education are under pressure from international test comparisons, particularly in mathematics. At the same time, research indicates that Norwegian teachers have a high degree of autonomy in education policy enactment. Analysing thirteen Norwegian mathematics teachers’ reflections on grouping practices, we seek to understand their decision-making processes within this context. Our findings indicate that teachers report a high degree of autonomy in grouping practices which is exercised through considerable diversity in practice and defended when necessary. Using an ecological model of teacher agency reveals how teachers explore and explain their highly situated practice and its tensions and contradictions. We find that teachers who are removed from the central locus of autonomy have less to draw on in making and justifying their pedagogic choices, while those who are more central are able to continually reassess in this highly sensitive arena. We note the implications for practice and research on attainment grouping, particularly the need for teacher autonomy and support for professionally-based local decision-making.

Play or pay to win: Loot boxes and gaming disorder in FIFA ultimate team

The aim of this study was to examine the relevant characteristics and motivations of 1144 international players of FIFA Ultimate Team for spending money on player packs (i.e., loot boxes). Loot boxes have been compared to gambling mechanics as they may both reinforce problematic behavior. Results showed employment status and sensitivity for rewards predicted spending on loot boxes, and that this behavior was motivated by the need for competence, autonomy and relatedness. Severity of gaming disorder also positively predicted spending behavior, both directly and indirectly through players’ need for autonomy. Although time spent playing was the strongest predictor of in-game success, the amount of money spent on loot boxes also improved players’ in-game ranking. Combined, gaming disorder and the perceived benefits to players’ ranking, competence, autonomy and relatedness contribute to the financial success of this monetization mechanic.

Implementing indigenous paradigms: the paradoxes of actualizing Sumak Kawsay

In this paper, I use the Quechan indigenous concept of sumak kawsay and its effects on the politics and policy of the South American nation of Ecuador to aid public administration in its efforts toward developing knowledge that can foster improvements in human wellbeing. The concept of sumak kawsay, which seeks to define the “good life” for human beings, can provide value for public administration as it seeks new ways to conceptualize and actualize human wellbeing in the processes of governance and public policy. But implementing sumak kawsay and similar alternative paradigms may require governments and jurisdictions to grapple with certain paradoxes of governance, especially the tension between the value of public participation and the need for administrative autonomy for the achievement of key policy objectives.

The Role of Communication Style and External Motivators in Predicting Vaccination Experiences and Intentions: An Experimental Vignette Study

ABSTRACT This vignette-based study examined in a sample of unvaccinated Belgian citizens (N = 1918; M age = 45.99) how health care workers could foster reflection about and intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by experimentally varying their communication style (i.e., autonomy-supportive vs. controlling) and the reference to external motivators (i.e., use of a monetary voucher or corona pass vs. the lack thereof). Each participant was randomly assigned to one of six conditions and rated a vignette in terms of anticipated autonomy satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, reflection, and vaccination intention. An autonomy-supportive, relative to a controlling, communication style predicted greater autonomy need satisfaction, which in turn related positively to perceived effectiveness, reflection, and vaccination intention. External motivators failed to generate positive effects compared to the control condition. The findings highlight the critical role of autonomy support in promoting a self-endorsed decision to get vaccinated.

SkiNet, A Petri Net Generation Tool for the Verification of Skillset-based Autonomous Systems

The need for high-level autonomy and robustness of autonomous systems for missions in dynamic and remote environment has pushed developers to come up with new software architectures. A common architecture style is to summarize the capabilities of the robotic system into elementary actions, called skills, on top of which a skill management layer is implemented to structure, test and control the functional layer. However, current available verification tools only provide either mission-specific verification or verification on a model that does not replicate the actual execution of the system, which makes it difficult to ensure its robustness to unexpected events. To that end, a tool, SkiNet, has been developed to transform the skill-based architecture of a system into a Petri net modeling the state-machine behaviors of the skills and the resources they handle. The Petri net allows the use of model-checking, such as Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) or Computational Tree Logic (CTL), for the user to analyze and verify the model of the system.

Role enactment and the contestation of global cybersecurity governance

ABSTRACT This research seeks to unpack the development of the EU as a security actor in cyberspace. Drawing on the theoretical approach of role theory, this article shows that the EU’s role in cyberspace should be understood in relationality to the other poles. On the one hand, the declining hegemonic role of the US in cyberspace as well as the divergence between the US and the EU with regard to cybersecurity governance has made the EU more aware of the need for cyber sovereignty and strategic autonomy. Therefore, the EU seeks to pursue a role of an autonomous cybersecurity player through the enactment of cybersecurity at institutional and operational level. On the other hand, under conditions of increasing interdependence, the EU has considered international cooperation to address challenges in cyberspace as a strategic priority, therefore seeking to act as a promoter of a multi-stakeholder model. Moreover, interpolariy in cyberspace determines the contestation of EU role by other poles. While the EU has recorded some small successes as a regulation-setter, emerging poles of power in the cybersecurity domain contest the EU’s desired role, promoting more state-centric approaches and seeking to transfer regulatory authority in the cybersecurity domain to the UN.

Opportunities, challenges, and contextual supports to promote enacting maturing during adolescence.

Conceptions of adolescent “storm and stress” may be tied to a developmental mismatch that exists between young people’s need for meaningful roles and autonomy – which we refer to as a need for enacting maturity – and the lack of such opportunities in most adolescents’ contexts. First, we summarize our previous work on enacting maturity, including a review of the key components, links to wellbeing, and the nuances and limitations of this construct. Next, we extend this work by considering how the ecological contexts (e.g., family, school, community) young people are embedded in and their various intersecting social positions and identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, immigrant origin) influence their experiences with enacting maturity. In this section, we pose several key questions for developmental scientists around: (a) identifying a young person’s desire for, and phenomenological processing of, their adult-like roles, (b) understanding how complex and unequal responses to physical maturation shape opportunities for enacting maturity, and (c) attending to disparities in curricular and extracurricular pathways to leadership, responsibility, and autonomy. Finally, we discuss spaces with high potential to support enacting maturity, including both specially designed programs (e.g., youth participatory action research, leadership programs) as well as routine, everyday opportunities (e.g., interactions with teachers, training for companies that employ youth). We offer two levers for supporting enacting maturity across both types of spaces: adult allies and responsive organizations. Looking to exemplary programs, innovative leaders, social media, and case studies, we re-imagine how adults and organizations can promote young people enacting maturing in ways that are safe, worthwhile, and equitable.

Best friends forever and family ties: continuity and change in closeness with parents and friends among Australian adolescents

ABSTRACT During adolescence, the need for social connection increases. Yet, fostering emotional closeness in relationships becomes more complex, as the need for autonomy also increases and social environments must adapt to become conducive to these seemingly competing needs. This complexity necessitates more research on what happens to close relationships during adolescence to better equip parents, scholars, and practitioners are in helping individuals navigate the unique social atmosphere of adolescence. The current study draws upon multi-level modelling techniques to estimate growth models of Australian adolescents’ closeness to parents and closeness to friends from ages 12–17 as well as explore predictors of these trajectories. Findings reveal that on average, adolescents’ levels of closeness to parents exhibit a moderate decrease while remaining relatively high, and boys appear to have a closer relationship with their parents than girls throughout the period examined. Levels of closeness to friends similarly decline while remaining relatively high, with girls exhibiting both greater levels of closeness and a faster decrease than boys throughout the timeframe examined. These results are discussed in light of the current literature, and recommendations for future studies are provided.

"Make it possible for more people to work at home!" representations of employee motivation and job satisfaction in Danish and Norwegian newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees with task-based jobs were forced to work from home, while others were furloughed or laid off. The current study aims to investigate how Norwegian and Danish newspapers represent employee motivation and job satisfaction of remote workers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a thematic analysis of five newspapers from Norway and Denmark with different daily distributions and political orientations. The findings suggest that the newspapers in the two countries represented the topic of interest from different perspectives, and this led to the use of two motivation theories: the self-determination theory (SDT) and Herzberg’s two-factor theory. The SDT helps us understand why some employees feel motivated and are more productive while working from home. The need for autonomy, competence, and connectedness is being satisfied for some employees but not for all, which may affect the strength of employees’ job motivation. Herzberg’s theory helps explain physical and psychological issues as dissatisfiers, as these issues are the consequence of working in a home-based office. Furthermore, a hybrid model seems to be an optimal solution for the future job market, where employees with task-based jobs can feel motivated and job satisfied while working either from home or from the workplace. Finally, it is important for employers to look after both the physical and the psychosocial conditions if hybrid solutions are going to replace the traditional workplace.

Healthcare workers' autonomy: testing the reciprocal relationship between job autonomy and self-leadership and moderating role ofneed for job autonomy.

While both perceived job autonomy and self-leadership are assumed to be important for optimal functioning of healthcare workers, their mutual relationship remains unclear. This cross-lagged study aims to theorize and test that perceived job autonomy and self-leadership have a reciprocal relationship, which is moderated by need for job autonomy. Two-wave panel data were used to measure cross-lagged relationships over a time period of three months. Self-leadership is indicated by both self-leadership strategies and self-leadership behavior. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression (HMR). Job autonomy was not causally nor reverse related to self-leadership strategies, but did relate to self-leadership behavior in both directions. Need for job autonomy did not influence the causal and reverse relationships between job autonomy and self-leadership (strategies and behavior). Instead, need for job autonomy discarded the influence of job autonomy on self-leadership behavior, and predicted self-leadership behavior over time. For optimizing healthcare jobs, human resource management (HRM) policy makers need to consider other interventions such as training self-leadership, or developing an autonomy supportive work environment, since job autonomy does not lead to more use of self-leadership strategies. This study used a cross-lagged study design which gives the opportunity to investigate causal relationships between job autonomy and self-leadership. Both self-leadership strategies and self-leadership behavior are included.

How to provide competitors in educational gamification: The roles of competitor level and autonomous choice

Competition, a common gamification element, has been widely utilized in educational gamification systems. However, the effects of competition on learning vary widely, and little is known about the conditions under which competition produces optimal effectiveness. This study focused on the effects of competitor level (how well or badly competitors perform) and corresponding autonomous choice (whether learners can choose competitors with different performance independently) on learning and identified whether the autonomous choice would moderate the effect of competitor level. In this study, we conducted a 2 (competitor level: high or low) × 2 (autonomous choice of competitor level: autonomous or non-autonomous) between-subjects design and recruited 190 college students. The results revealed that lower competitor level led to more positive emotions, less negative emotions, and stronger competence need satisfaction when learners did not conduct autonomous choices. Analogously, the autonomous choice was conducive to emotions (more positive emotions and less negative emotions) and competence need satisfaction for participants who competed with high-level competitors. Overall, lower competitor level and autonomous choice contributed to stronger autonomy need satisfaction and motivation. Moreover, autonomous choice of competitor level, rather than competitor level per se, could improve learning performance. These results confirmed the positive roles of low-level competitors and autonomous choice, which inspired us to provide learners the opportunity to choose the level of competitors before considering providing low-level competitors.

The depth of stories: How Black young adults' disclosure of high arousal negative affect in narratives about the COVID-19 pandemic and the BLM protests improved adjustment over the year 2020.

The present study investigates whether the way Black young adults constructed their narratives regarding the stressful events of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the black lives matter (BLM) protests related to adjustment over time. A two‐wave mixed prospective and retrospective longitudinal study was conducted in July and December 2020 and included a total of 90 Black young adults. Narrative reports were collected at baseline to determine the psychological interpretations of the two events and were coded based on affect disclosure. Both time points examined adjustment to the COVID‐19 pandemic and the BLM protests as well as the extent to which the basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence were affected. Our results showed that disclosure of high arousal negative affect in narratives at baseline was associated with better adjustment over time. Additionally, results of process analyses showed that satisfaction of the basic psychological need for autonomy (e.g., feelings of personal agency, choice, and volition) mediated the association between narratives and adjustment. These results suggest that engaging in disclosure of high arousal negative affect may be associated with heightening adjustment because it enhances individuals' autonomy, perhaps resulting in a beneficial integration of the events into their broader life narratives. These findings highlight the potential of well‐constructed narratives to impact adjustment over time and have implications for clinical practice to support Racialized communities during unprecedented events.

P03-16 Motivating playgrounds: Understanding how school playgrounds support autonomy, competence, and relatedness of tweens

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is an important factor contributing to general health. PA declines rapidly during tween years (9-12 years) when children's social world changes. During tween years, children's self-consciousness develops and their focus on social status, friendships, and appearance increase. It is therefore important to consider how to motivate tween's to be physically active. School playgrounds can contribute substantially to children's PA and are considered key contexts for children to be physically and socially active. Despite the potential of school playgrounds, little is known about how to motivate tweens to use school playgrounds.Use of motivational theories in health research has increased rapidly in the last 20 years and the Self-Determination Theory has been used to conceptualize and analyze motivation. Using the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) proposed by the Self-Determination Theory, this qualitative study aimed to investigate how school playgrounds can support tweens to enhance their autonomous motivation for PA on school playgrounds.MethodsWe interviewed 56 tweens in focus group go-along interviews in their school playground.ResultsWe found that playgrounds could support each of the three basic psychological needs. School playgrounds supported the need for autonomy when the tweens could freely choose from different play equipment pieces. Furthermore, playgrounds should provide enough space to avoid noisy areas and congestion. To support competence, playgrounds should facilitate challenges at different levels, enabling the tweens to practice and experience task mastery. These challenges should contain an element of risk where the tweens can experience a high degree of competence. Playgrounds provide a unique possibility for making and strengthening social bonds. To support relatedness, playgrounds should include areas to hang out and talk with friends of a similar age.ConclusionThis research highlighted the importance of incorporating tweens' perspectives in playground design to attract and retain them in play and PA in school playgrounds.

Work until you drop: Effects of work overload, prolonging working hours, and autonomy need satisfaction on exhaustion in teachers

Based on a longitudinal survey of K–12 teachers in Switzerland (N = 533), a conditional effects model was used to analyze the relationships between teachers’ work overload, prolonging working hours as a coping strategy, autonomy, and exhaustion. The findings showed that the effect of work overload on exhaustion was fully mediated by prolonging working hours. Autonomy moderated the longitudinal effects of work overload on exhaustion. Simple slope analyses demonstrated that autonomy buffered the negative effects of work overload on exhaustion.