Self-determination Theory Approach Research Articles

A self-determination theory approach to teacher digital competence development

Teacher Digital Competence (TDC) framework guides policy revision and professional development, empowering teachers for future classrooms by technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and metaverse. Falloon (2020) expanded the TPACK framework to include personal-ethic and personal-professional competencies, addressing ethical, safe, and productive functioning in diverse, digital environments for a new TDC framework. The two new sets of personal-competencies are very important to the use of AI and metaverse in education. However, research on implementation of Falloon's (2020) TDC framework that requires interdisciplinary collaboration among school members is limited. Teachers' engagement in TDC development activities is influenced by school digital learning policy and culture, and explained by three needs satisfaction in Self-determination Theory. Therefore, this study had two goals. First it proposed and examined a research model using school learning support as a predictor, needs satisfactions as mediating variable and the two new sets of TDC as criterion variables by analyzing questionnaire data. Second, it identifies needs-supportive strategies for digital education by analyzing interviews and school documents. The participants were 370 school teachers. The results showed that the positive effect of the school learning support on TDC, and needs satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between perceived school learning support and the two sets of personal competencies. We also suggested 12 ways for designing school digital policy and culture that satisfy teachers' needs, and validated instruments of the two sets of personal competencies. TDC that covers teacher artificial intelligence competence is important to the future teacher professional development.

Expressing and developing wisdom: A self-determination theory approach.

Expressing and developing wisdom: A self-determination theory approach.

What Motivates Secondary School Teachers to Continue to Use Classroom-Based Physical Activity? A Self-Determination Theory Approach

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aimed to examine the motivational regulations of secondary school teachers to use classroom-based physical activity (CBPA). Methods A total of 148 secondary school teachers (response rate, 34%) completed a survey including the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (α = 0.79–0.92), the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory perceived competence (α = 0.85) and perceived autonomy (α = 0.86) subscales, and the perceived relatedness with students scale (α = 0.93). Results English, Norwegian, and mathematics CBPA were used by 13%, 26%, and 22% of respondents, respectively. Thirty-seven percent of the teachers reported using in-class physically active breaks one to four times a week or daily. There was a positive correlation between teachers’ perception of autonomy, competence, relatedness with students, and self-determined regulations for applying CBPA. A stepwise regression analysis showed that identified regulation for CBPA and perceived competence explained 31% of the likelihood of using CBPA in future teaching. Conclusion To improve rates of teachers using CBPA on a regular basis in secondary school, implementers need to focus on strengthening teachers’ personal held values about and perceived competence for using CBPA.

Supporting youth emotionally when communicating about climate change: A self-determination theory approach

Communicating with adolescents about climate change can be challenging if we want to safeguard their emotional well-being. Here, we evaluate the emotional impact of climate change communication that is informed by self-determination theory (SDT). We conducted two experiments with samples of ethnically diverse adolescents from the United States to examine adolescents’ emotions when reading needs-aligned, needs-misaligned, and needs-neutral (control) communication about climate change. Adolescents who read needs-aligned communication reported less anxiety compared with adolescents who read needs-misaligned (Study 1) and needs-neutral (Study 2) communication. Unexpectedly, compared with adolescents who read needs-neutral communication, adolescents who read needs-misaligned communication reported more positive emotions (i.e., enjoyment, pride) when learning about climate change (Study 2). Our research provides initial evidence that SDT can inform climate change communication strategies that buffer adolescents from experiencing anxiety.

Trapped Between Goal Conflict and Availability Norm?

Abstract: An increasing number of studies indicate that individuals have difficulties in exerting self-control over media use, such as mobile messaging. Specifically, individuals frequently experience that their messenger use conflicts with primary goals (e.g., work tasks), which may cause negative self-conscious emotions such as guilt. At the same time, not checking and answering messages violates a now widely established availability norm, which may trigger negative self-conscious emotions as well. The current study, therefore, tests how goal conflicts and connection cues interact in influencing users’ negative self-conscious emotions about their messenger usage behavior. Drawing on self-control research in conjunction with self-determination theory and theoretical approaches to social norms, we derived hypotheses on the boundary conditions under which the frequency of messenger use causes negative self-conscious emotions. We thereby significantly extend previous research on the self-regulation of mobile media use, which largely assumes that self-control failure results from users’ intrinsic motivation to experience need satisfaction and pleasure and tends to overlook the fact that mediated communication is often extrinsically motivated due to the availability norm. The hypotheses were tested based on a preregistered laboratory experiment.

Antecedents of environmental values and pro-environmental behavior intentions: A self-determination theory approach

There is undeniable scientific evidence for anthropogenic (i.e., human-caused) environmental degradation. However, there is no leading theory in environmental psychology that explains how human behavior contributes to such degradation. Accordingly, the present research sought to apply the framework of self-determination theory to examine antecedents of environmental values and pro-environmental behavior intentions. In two cross-sectional studies and one longitudinal study (Ns = 293, 187, and 275, respectively), a conceptual model was tested in which there are indirect effects of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations on pro-environmental behavior intentions through ecocentric and anthropocentric values. In general, this conceptual model was supported, although the findings suggested that anthropocentric (relative to ecocentric) values offer a more robust explanation of the association between aspirations and pro-environmental behavior intentions. The discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical implications of this research, especially regarding the importance of framing governmental policies and educational programs around intrinsic (rather than extrinsic) aspirations.

How Does the Level of Physical Activity Influence Eating Behavior? A Self-Determination Theory Approach

Physical activity and diet are two predominant determinants of population health status that may influence each other. Physical activity has been identified as a behavior that may lead to a healthier diet and regulates eating behaviors. This research aimed to investigate how the level of physical activity is associated with the motivation related to eating behaviors and, consequently, the eating style individuals have on a daily basis. This was a cross-sectional study in which participants completed an online questionnaire that assessed the following variables: the level of physical activity, the motivation toward eating behavior, and the type of eating behavior. In total, 440 individuals (180 men and 260 women) who regularly exercised in gyms and fitness centers aged between 19 and 64 years (M = 33.84; SD = 10.09) took part in the study. The data were collected following the Declaration of Helsinki and with the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Polytechnic of Leiria. For the statistical analysis, mean and standard deviations were first calculated, as well as bivariate correlations between all the variables of interest. Then, structural equation model analyses were performed considering the levels of physical activity as the independent variable, motivations toward eating behavior as the mediators, and eating styles as the dependent variables. It was concluded that a greater level of physical activity leads to a more self-determined type of eating regulation, which in turn results in less constricted eating behaviors that are influenced by external factors and emotional factors.

Xenophobia and Xenophilia, the Bright and Dark Sides of Attitude Towards Foreigners: A Self-Determination Theory Approach.

Introduction: The intensification of the migration phenomenon led to a growing interest in the public domain about the attitudes towards foreigners. Xenophobia and xenophilia are two opposite orientations towards foreigners, that could be considered the consequences of the interaction between several factors. Based on the self-determination theory, this study aims to verify that a bright pathway composed by intrinsic goal, needs satisfaction and altruism could explain xenophilia, whereas a dark pathway composed by extrinsic goal, needs frustration, and egoism could explain xenophobia in a group of Italian emerging adult. Methods: A group of 306 Italian emerging adults (aged 18-24), completed questionnaires and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesized model. Results: The results showed a relation between intrinsic goals and needs satisfaction, conversely needs satisfaction was related to altruism, moreover altruism was related to xenophilia. On the other hand, extrinsic goals were related to need frustration; moreover, need frustration was related to egoism and egoism was related to xenophobia. Discussion: These results were discussed within the Italian context for a better general comprehension of both xenophobia and xenophilia in a SDT framework.

A comprehensive examination of alcohol-related motivations among college students: Unique relations of drinking motives and motivations for drinking responsibly.

Drinking motives, or reasons people choose to drink, are well-established risk factors for alcohol use and related negative consequences. Recent research has shown utility in a self-determination theory (SDT) approach for describing motivation for engaging in behaviors that reduce the harms associated with alcohol use (i.e., drinking responsibly). In the present study, we examined the relationship between drinking motives and motivations for drinking responsibly as well as their unique and incremental associations with alcohol-related outcomes (protective behavioral strategies [PBS], consumption, and negative consequences) in two samples of college student drinkers: (a) a random sample (n = 507) recruited from a Hispanic-Serving Institution on the U.S. border with Mexico (Mage = 22.84, SD = 5.84; 67.3% female; 90.9% Hispanic) and (b) a convenience sample (n = 2,808) from Psychology Department research participation pools at 10 universities in 8 U.S. states (Mage = 20.59, SD = 4.18; 72.9% female; 58.2% non-Hispanic White). Autonomous motivations (experience of volition and choice) for drinking responsibly were negatively correlated with drinking motives, but these correlations were small-to-medium in magnitude suggesting nonredundancy between the constructs. Drinking motives were risk factors for alcohol-related outcomes, especially alcohol-related problems, and autonomous motivations for drinking responsibly were protective factors for alcohol-related outcomes, especially PBS. Both motivational constructs predicted alcohol-related outcomes beyond the other, but drinking motives generally accounted for more variance. These findings suggest that integrating motivation in relation to both drinking and drinking responsibly may lead to a better understanding of alcohol-related behaviors and the associated negative consequences among college students. Implications for college drinking interventions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of college students’ perceived teacher support on career exploration: A Self-Determination Theory approach

ABSTRACT Career exploration has always been the key to career development, but exploring the formation mechanism of career exploration behaviour from teachers’ perspective is still inadequate. A three-stage time-lagged research design is used to obtain a valid sample of 1246 college students from mainland China. Based on self-determination theory, this paper analyzes the causal mechanisms of career exploration from the dual motivation of controlled motivation of teachers’ support and autonomous motivation of future work self-salience of college students to explore the mechanisms and function boundaries of career exploration of college students. The results showed that: (1) Students’ perceived teacher support positively influences career exploration; (2) Future work self-salience positively moderates the mediating effect of learning engagement on the relationship between perceived teacher support and career exploration. This research contributes to how to enhance the positive effects of career exploration are proposed.

A qualitative investigation of psychological need-satisfying experiences of a mobile learning application: A Self-Determination Theory approach

Much research on mobile learning is cross-sectional or lacks a theoretical basis for investigating the mechanisms of mobile learning and achievement. This may be a concern as well-formulated theoretical frameworks allow results to be interpreted and contextualized in a coherent and integrated fashion that could then be valuable when interpreting findings in educational contexts. The main aim of this study was to investigate biology students’ experiences of using a mobile application for learning about species identification. We use Self-Determination Theory as a guiding framework to investigate students’ experiences of need-satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness within a mobile application, and whether this influences students’ learning processes. We conducted four focus groups with 26 biology students in higher education. Based on our thematic analysis, we find that students experienced the satisfaction of all three psychological needs while using the mobile application. Specifically, students’ needs were satisfied by experiencing choice, feedback, mastery, cooperation, and discussion. These elements in turn were related to the process of identifying species. Contradictory to what we expected, students reported more learning from a traditional textbook, compared to the mobile application. Our results provide useful information for learning designers, which suggests that it is important to take need-satisfaction into consideration when designing technology. Our study offers new insight into the underlying need-satisfying experiences of mobile learning, and it provides an understanding of how the different elements of need-satisfaction contribute to different species identification processes.

Structural Relationships Between Procrastination, Academic Motivation, and Academic Achievement Within University Students: A Self-determination Theory Approach

Structural Relationships Between Procrastination, Academic Motivation, and Academic Achievement Within University Students: A Self-determination Theory Approach

Fostering Motivation toward Chemistry through Augmented Reality Educational Escape Activities. A Self-Determination Theory Approach

There is little doubt that motivation influences the extent to which individuals engage with online learning experiences. With the increasing role of digital technologies within chemistry higher education, this study illustrates how an augmented reality (AR)-supported educational escape activity (EEA), based on topics of inorganic stereochemistry, can be employed within an online environment. The design aspects of our activity were guided by principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT)─an intrinsic-extrinsic theory of motivation. We sought to actively support the fundamental needs of competency, autonomy, and relatedness. Our control group was provided with a copy of our EEA that utilized two-dimensional drawings. Reported measures of competency were seen as a positive predictor of intrinsic motivation. However, in this study, this was not observed to be a positive predictor of academic performance. The introduction of AR, over and above the EEA, did not result in any significant differences in reported intrinsic motivation or post-test scores on our stereochemistry test instrument. Collected qualitative data suggest that participants found the activity to be useful and engaging. Through students’ discussions, we have provided evidence of how design aspects of the EEA support the psychological needs satisfaction outlined by SDT. The design of our EEA provides one approach to implementing this style of learning activity, in a way that supports virtual presence and is scalable to large student cohorts.

Children's Motivation Profiles in Sports and Physical Activities: A Latent Profile Analysis and Self-Determination Theory Approach.

Using latent profile analysis and self-determination theory, the present study aimed to examine younger children's motivation profiles in sports and physical activities and the relations of those profiles to various predictors and achievement outcomes. A total of 1,116 German children from Grade 2 participated in this study. Latent-profile-analysis solutions based on five behavioral-regulation types covered in self-determination theory (i.e.,intrinsic, identified, introjected, external, amotivation) were tested. Results favored a three-profile solution, showing three theoretically meaningful and distinct motivation profiles labeled "amotivated," "non-self-determined," and "self-determined." Older children and children with a lower physical self-concept were more likely to be members of the amotivated profile relative to the other profiles than younger children and children with a higher physical self-concept. Furthermore, children of the self-determined profile demonstrated the best physical performance in various motor-skills tests.

Basic needs support and achievement emotions in daily research of life scientists considering academic positions

Emotions are a crucial factor in daily research of academic staff and, accordingly, affect scientific progress. Already before but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the strong connection between working conditions and work-related emotional states as antecedents for mental health of academic staff gained more and more attention. However, in depths investigations of researchers’ emotions in academia are still rare. In the highly competitive field of academia, experiencing the working environments as supportive may be an important influential factor for researchers’ emotions. On a structural level, academic positions may also be tied to different emotional experiences. Taking a Self-Determination Theory approach, we therefore investigate, whether a basic need-supportive environment (regarding perceived competence and autonomy support, and social relatedness to the scientific community) and the academic position (research assistants without leading responsibility and principle investigators with leading responsibility) predict activity-related achievement emotions (enjoyment, anger, frustration, and boredom) during daily research activities. However, measurements on basic needs support and achievement emotions tailored to the specific academic research context are lacking. Therefore, this study is aimed at developing fitted scales on these constructs. In a cross-sectional survey, we questioned N = 250 life scientists in 13 German universities. Results of multiple linear regression analyses suggest that supportive environments in academia were positively associated to the level of experienced enjoyment and negatively to the level of experienced frustration. Surprisingly, social relatedness to the scientific community does not affect frustration. Principle investigators report a more favorable emotional pattern with higher levels of enjoyment than research assistants. However, the level of experienced frustration was not affected by the academic position. The scales on anger and boredom seemed not to differentiate emotional experiences on these two negative achievement emotions in the research context accurately. Therefore, we needed to exclude anger and boredom from analyzes. Further research on these achievement emotions is needed. We discuss our findings on enjoyment and frustration and derive both theoretical and practical implications, taking an international and interdisciplinary perspective.

Self-determination theory approach to understanding the impact of videogames on wellbeing during COVID-19 restrictions

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous economic and social disruption devastating people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended people engage in enjoyable activities such as videogames, helping them relax during difficult life situations. Using Self-Determination Theory as a lens, this interview study (N = 11) examined how people’s videogame behaviours were influenced by life context, and their impact on wellbeing during COVID-19. Findings established that videogames were a compensatory response to the stressors of the pandemic. Playing videogames satisfied participants’ needs for social connection, serving as a coping mechanism to distract them for a short time; following an initial prioritisation of gaming and spike in gaming hours, many returned to their regular gaming behaviours. This study contributes to the games for health literature, identifying the effects of videogames on wellbeing, and provides much needed knowledge for health practitioners and families on how videogames are used and their impact on players’ wellbeing during the pandemic as a societal stressful life event. The findings have clinical and policy implications both to identify a positive tool, and to dispel negative stigmas surrounding videogames.

Why being morally virtuous enhances well-being: A self-determination theory approach

ABSTRACT Self-determination theory, like other psychological theories that study eudaimonia, focuses on general processes of growth and self-realization. An aspect that tends to be sidelined in the relevant literature is virtue. We propose that special focus needs to be placed on moral virtue and its development. We review different types of moral motivation and argue that morally virtuous behavior is regulated through integrated regulation. We describe the process of moral integration and how it relates to the development of moral virtue. We then discuss what morally virtuous individuals are like, what shape their internal moral system is expected to take and introduce moral self-concordance. We consider why morally virtuous individuals are expected to experience eudaimonic well-being. Finally, we address the current gap in self-determination theory research on eudaimonia.

How school principals’ motivating style stimulates teachers’ job crafting: A self-determination theory approach

How school principals’ motivating style stimulates teachers’ job crafting: A self-determination theory approach

A Motivation Analysis of Video Game Microstreamers: “Finding My People and Myself” on YouTube and Twitch

ABSTRACT Microstreamers broadcast their video game play and commentary to small audiences on YouTube and Twitch. To draw a holistic picture of their motivations, this study conducted semi-structured interviews employing two complementary frameworks. A Uses and Gratifications approach showed that social integrative needs predominate – even personal integrative and affective need satisfaction depend on audience. In parallel, a Self-Determination Theory approach demonstrated satisfaction of three fundamental needs: the autonomy of an artist–entrepreneur; the relatedness of a community leader; and skill competence displayed to an audience. Microstreamers are driven to “find their people” online, where, through performance, they “find themselves” anew.

Comparing College Students’ Motivation Trajectories Before and During COVID-19: A Self-Determination Theory Approach

College students’ retrospective reports commonly indicate motivational declines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Self-Determination Theory, the present study provided a more nuanced examination of the pandemic’s motivational effect by measuring actual change in six distinct types of motivation. We compared motivation trajectories from the first to the fourth year of college for two cohorts of students, with the fourth-year measurement taken prior to the pandemic in one cohort (n = 206) but during the pandemic in the other (n = 270). Compared to the pre-pandemic cohort, the COVID cohort showed sharper declines in identified and intrinsic motivation but no differences in controlled motivation or amotivation. Motivational declines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to be both real and specific to autonomous motives.