Self-determination Theory Framework Research Articles

A dynamic approach to communication in health literacy education.

BackgroundResearch within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) indicates that patients' autonomy is to be considered a critical health care outcome in its own right since it promotes improved mental and physical health.This paper presents an analysis of studies addressing communication and interaction interventions in health literacy curricula for medical and health care practitioners, focusing on patient-oriented skills in “making sense” and “to adapt and self-manage”. For evaluating interventions, underlying communication models were traced. The criteria for good practice are “making sense” and “supporting autonomy in making choices”. For the search of interventions, keywords from both the framework of the EU-project, Intervention Research on Health Literacy among Ageing population (IROHLA (The IROHLA project received financial support from the European Union through FP7 Grant 305831)), as well as the SDT (Self Determination Theory) were applied.The research question of this paper is to what degree is autonomy supporting communication skills part of the curricula of health literacy (HL) for medical and health care practitioners and providers? A Pubmed search revealed: a) that “making sense” is clearly represented in HL interventions in curricula; however, b) very few interventions teach medical and health care practitioners how to give autonomy support in the interaction with their (future) patients.Four promising, beneficial practices were identified. Several recommendations were presented encouraging curriculum developers to adapt skills of supporting autonomy into their programs.MethodsA qualitative content analysis of interventions in the curricula of communication and interaction skills for medical students and practitioners.ResultsA review of literature indicates: a) most interventions in curricula for medical students and practitioners are focusing on skills in adequately providing information to patients by using an underlying (advanced) Sender-Message-Receiver Model; and b) only a few interventions in curricula are available for providing the acquisition of interaction skills in supporting autonomy.ConclusionsThe proposal of Huber and others to change the emphasis in the definition of the WHO definition on health towards “to adapt and self manage” has impact on the training of medical students and practioners in dealing with patients with low levels of health literacy. From the present study it can be concluded that a dynamic approach to communication can be linked to theoretical constructs on self-management. In such an approach interaction techniques like scaffolding can increase the level of HL of the patient.

How Online Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Influences Self-Disclosure Online among Chinese Adolescents: Moderated Mediation Effect of Exhibitionism and Narcissism.

Under the basic framework of self-determination theory, the present study examined a moderated mediation model in which exhibitionism mediated the relationship between online basic psychological need satisfaction and self-disclosure on the mobile Internet, and this mediation effect was moderated by narcissism. A total of 296 Chinese middle school students participated in this research. The results revealed that exhibitionism fully mediated the association between online competence need satisfaction and self-disclosure on the mobile net, and partly mediated the association between online relatedness need satisfaction and self-disclosure on the mobile net. The mediating path from online basic psychological need satisfaction (competence and relatedness) to exhibitionism was moderated by narcissism. Compared to the low level of narcissism, online competence need satisfaction had a stronger predictive power on exhibitionism under the high level of narcissism condition. In contrast, online relatedness need satisfaction had a weaker predictive power on exhibitionism.

Spousal autonomy support, need satisfaction, and well-being in individuals with chronic pain: A longitudinal study

The present research examined the effect of spousal autonomy support on the need satisfaction and well-being of individuals with chronic pain. Married individuals with a diagnosed musculoskeletal chronic pain condition (N=109) completed a baseline questionnaire and a follow-up questionnaire after a 6-month time period. Cross-lagged analyses indicated that spousal autonomy support predicted increases in basic need satisfaction, and need satisfaction predicted increases in well-being. Moreover, the analyses in the opposite direction were not significant. Similarly, cross-lagged analyses were more supportive of the direction from pain intensity to lower well-being, rather than well-being to pain intensity. Finally, we tested a longitudinal structural model using pain intensity and spousal autonomy support as the predictors, basic needs as the mediator, and well-being as the outcome. The model provided a good fit to the data. Results showed that spousal autonomy support had a positive effect on the need satisfaction and well-being of individuals with chronic pain, independent of pain intensity. These findings extend self-determination theory to the chronic pain context and lay the groundwork for future chronic pain studies using the self-determination theory framework.

Overcoming Barriers: Adolescents' Experiences Using a Mobile Phone Dietary Assessment App.

BackgroundThe use of new technology has the potential to increase participation rates in dietary studies and improve the validity of collected dietary data. However, to evaluate the usability of developed dietary methods, qualitative studies of participants’ experiences and perceptions are needed.ObjectiveTo explore adolescents’ experiences using a newly developed mobile phone dietary assessment app, with a focus on factors that could affect their recording of dietary intake.MethodsFocus group interviews were conducted with 75 participants who had used a newly developed mobile phone dietary assessment app in a quantitative evaluation study. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and the theoretical framework of Self Determination Theory was applied.ResultsThe adolescents’ use of the mobile phone dietary assessment app was characterized by their struggle to overcome several perceived barriers. Facilitators that helped adolescents complete the method were also identified. Motivation was found to be an important facilitator, and intrinsically motivated participants completed the method because they found it fun to use. The autonomous extrinsically motivated participants completed the method for the greater good, in order to contribute to the study. The controlled extrinsically motivated participants completed the method to get a reward or avoid punishment. Amotivated participants did not complete the method. More motivated participants were assumed to be more able to overcome barriers and needed less facilitators.ConclusionsFuture studies that examine the recording of food intake should include systematic efforts that aim to minimize identified barriers and promote identified facilitators. Further research should specifically aim at studying methods for (and effects of) increasing intrinsic motivation by supporting autonomy, competence, and relatedness among adolescents asked to participate in dietary studies.

Children’s Coping With Academic Failure

There is little consensus on how to conceptualize coping after perceived failure and less is known about the contextual resources that may support or undermine the use of specific coping strategies. This study examined parenting in relation to coping using the framework of self-determination theory and examined the motivational processes through which parenting, specifically parental structure, autonomy support, and involvement, may be associated with coping. Findings showed that the relations between parental structure and parental autonomy support and defensive coping were mediated by perceived control; however, there were also direct effects of structure and autonomy support, unmediated by this motivational resource. Findings also suggest that parent involvement directly predicts mastery coping.

Plotting the motivation of student volunteers in sports-based outreach work in the North East of England

This paper examines the evolution of student volunteers’ motivation during their participation in a sports-based outreach project and how their experiences during the programme serve to influence their commitment and retention to it. The Sport Universities North East England (SUNEE) project is a university-led community outreach initiative that provides the region's student volunteers with vast opportunities to gain both experience and qualifications as sports coaches, mentors and leaders by working with a range of hard-to-reach groups. This work draws on qualitative data generated from semi-structured interviews (n=40) and describes a sequence of motivational transitions undergone by student volunteers over the course of their involvement in the project. In order to illustrate this, the paper applies the socio-psychological framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to not only index the type of motivations that compel students to volunteer on the SUNEE project, but to also track motivational adaptation and reveal the features occurring within the project, which serve to either facilitate volunteer motivation or retention (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). By using the example of the SUNEE project, this research demonstrates how students’ motivation to volunteer changes from the extrinsic (i.e., instrumental reasons such as enhancing one's employability profile) to the intrinsic (i.e., enjoying the experience) motivations the longer the person has taken part in the project. The findings demonstrate the utility of the SDT as a framework with which to understand student motivation to volunteer within a university-led sports-based community outreach setting. The theoretical contributions of the study to the literature on student volunteering are outlined, and implications are drawn for practice and future research.

Self-determined motivation for practice in university music students

This study adopted self-determination theory as means to understanding the motivation of university music students. The self-determination theory framework contends that three psychological needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy must be fulfilled in order to maintain psychological wellbeing. In turn, needs fulfilment results in autonomous motivation, in which activities are perceived to be aligned with the self and are consequently experienced as personally important, interesting, and enjoyable. We surveyed students ( N = 392) from schools of music in nine universities in Australia and New Zealand to examine whether needs fulfilment and autonomous motivation within the university music learning context would explain context-specific affect and behaviour. Hypothesised relationships were tested using structural equation modelling. Psychological needs fulfilment and autonomous motivation explained more frequent practice, more frequent quality practice, and a higher preference for challenging tasks. This study is among the first self-determination theory studies in the domain of music learning at the university level, and thus the results are described in terms of the potential of this theory to more fully explain interesting and under-researched aspects of this environment, including student wellbeing, anxiety, preparations for a long-term career in music, and pedagogical implications.

Types of Homeschool Environments and Need Support for Children’s Achievement Motivation

ABSTRACTWorking within a self-determination theory (SDT) framework, this study used cluster analysis to examine the naturally occurring types of homeschool-learning environments parents (N = 457) have created. Measures of support for student autonomy, mastery goal structure, and use of conditional regard were adapted for a homeschool context and used as constituting variables. Follow-up measures of parental need satisfaction, efficacy, student academic engagement, teaching practices, and demographics were used to identify significant differences among homeschooling motivational profiles. A five-cluster solution best fit the data: a high need support profile, low need support profile and three profiles of mixed need support. In general, the high need and mixed need support profiles were associated with higher student engagement, need satisfaction, efficacy for homeschooling, and frequent use of teaching strategies that promote autonomous motivation and support for student competence. The low need support profile was significantly associated with lower need satisfaction and teaching strategies associated with control. Higher levels of academic engagement were reported for those students homeschooled longer and at higher grade levels. Male teaching parents (N = 29) reported significantly less need satisfaction and were significantly more represented in the low need support profile. These findings point to the utility of self-determination theory for characterizing the motivational environments of homeschools.

Bringing Students Back to Mathematics: Classroom Knowledge and Motivation

This paper reports part of a larger research study that investigated how teachers motivate students to learn mathematics at the college level. Findings from the study indicated that teachers have the power to influence and reinvigorate students who had given up learning mathematics. In the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the researchers analyzed five students’ motivational levels based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to see how each student was motivated by their teacher. Findings from the study could provide some directions for future research on students’ motivation to learn mathematics.

Motivating first-year university students by interdisciplinary study projects

ABSTRACTIn order to increase student commitment from the beginning of students’ university careers, the Technische Universität Darmstadt has introduced interdisciplinary study projects involving first-year students from the engineering, natural, social and history, economics and/or human sciences departments. The didactic concept includes sophisticated task design, individual responsibility and a differentiated support system. Using a self-determination theory framework, this study examined the effects of the projects based on survey findings from two projects with more than 1000 students. The results showed that the projects were successful in fulfilling students’ basic psychological needs and in promoting students’ academic engagement. Basic psychological needs were found to be significant predictors of academic engagement. These findings suggest that interdisciplinary study projects can potentially contribute to improving higher education as they fulfil students’ basic psychological needs for competence, relatedness and autonomy and enhance students’ academic engagement.

Women's Self-determination in Cooperative Tourism Microenterprises

The purpose of this study is to better understand how cooperative forms of microentrepreneurship influence women's self-determination. Utilizing the framework of self-determination theory, this study employed a multiple case study approach that involved in-depth interviews, content analysis, field notes, and direct observations. Findings indicate that livelihood opportunities afforded under cooperative tourism microentrepreneurship offer women increased levels of self-determination, but that economic improvements alone are not sufficient in enhancing overall well-being. This study provides a detailed account of the strategies indigenous women employ to enhance their self-determination under cooperative tourism microentrepreneurship models. The results of this study suggest that programs by governments and NGOs should consider non-individual benefits when they engage with communities in tourism planning initiatives. Additionally, interventions aimed at women must also engage men or women may suffer from tensions at home. Finally, this study indicates that simply offering access to credit does not foster self-reliant development. The structures of cooperative models determine outcomes. Therefore, whenever possible, microentrepreneurship models should be designed to enhance strong cooperative social structures.

Examining the motivators of training transfer in an enterprise systems context

ABSTRACTEnterprise systems (ES) are large software packages that have been widely adopted, but are complex to deploy. One way to obtain more value from them is to train end-users. However, little is known about the effectiveness of ES training. This study examines post-training behaviour in the ES environment through the concept of training transfer and the theoretical framework of self-determination theory. It proposes that end-users’ computer self-efficacy (CSE) and mastery orientation (MO), as well as the perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) of a system, influence their motivation to transfer the skills they have gained during training to their work environment and to use the system. Data was collected from 170 ES end-users, who had previously attended ES training, through a survey. Partial least squares modelling was used to analyse the data, and all of the hypotheses were supported. This study is among the first few studies that investigate the more distal impact of information systems training.

Why Do Chinese College Students Learn ESP: An Analysis of Language Learning Motivations within SDT Framework

<p>This study mainly investigates the motivational characteristics of Chinese college students learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP). By critically examining and comparing Gardner’s (1985) Integrative-Instrumental model and the Self-determination Theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan(1985), the researcher finds out that the latter one is more comprehensive and applicable to the case of Chinese college ESP learners (the subjects). Thus the researcher develops a questionnaire within the SDT framework to analyze the subjects’ motivations. Drawing upon a follow-up statistical analysis, the research discovers the motivational propensities of the subjects. A discussion of corresponding motivational methods to help improve the subjects’ ESP learning is provided at the end of the article.</p>

Why students become more engaged or more disengaged during the semester: A self-determination theory dual-process model

We adopted a dual-process model within a self-determination theory framework to investigate why students sometimes veer toward a longitudinal trajectory of rising classroom engagement during the semester and why they other times tend toward a trajectory of rising disengagement. Measures of perceived autonomy support, perceived teacher control, need satisfaction, need frustration, engagement, and disengagement were collected from 366 (174 females, 192 males) Korean high-school students using a three-wave longitudinal research design. Multi-level structural equation modeling analyses found that perceived autonomy support predicted longitudinal changes need satisfaction which predicted changes in engagement and also that perceived teacher control predicted longitudinal changes need frustration which predicted changes disengagement. Reciprocal effects also emerged in that extent of disengagement predicted both longitudinal increases in students' perceptions of teacher control and decreases in perceptions of teacher autonomy support. We conclude that students tend toward a semester-long trajectory of rising engagement when they perceive their teachers to be autonomy supportive and need satisfying while they tend toward a trajectory of rising disengagement when they perceive their teachers to be controlling and need frustrating.

Measuring Student Motivation in High School Physical Education: Development and Validation of Two Self-Report Questionnaires

The aim of this research was to develop measures to provide valid and reliable representation of the motivational states and psychological needs proposed by the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000) within a physical education context. Based on theoretical underpinnings of self-determination theory, two questionnaires were developed to measure students’ motivation and psychological need satisfaction in high school physical education: (a) the Physical Education Motivation Scale (PEMS) and (b) the Physical Education Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence Scale (PE-ARCS). Validity and reliability concerning the scales were examined. Exploratory factor analysis supported the validity and test–retest reliability of a 3-factor, 9-item solution for PEMS and a 3-factor, 12-item solution for PE-ARCS. The results provide evidence supporting the validity and reliability of PEMS and PE-ARCS as promising physical education-specific measures of motivation developed within the framework of self-determination theory.

Motives and Barriers to Physical Activity Among Older Adults of Different Socioeconomic Status.

This study explored motives and barriers to physical activity (PA) among older adults of differing socioeconomic status (SES) utilizing a self-determination theory and self-efficacy theory framework. Focus groups (n = 4) were conducted with older adults (n = 28) from two SES groups, using thematic analysis to identify motives and barriers. Integrated and identified regulations and, to a lesser extent, intrinsic motives, were evident across SES groups. Verbal persuasion and affective and physiological states emerged as prominent efficacy sources regardless of SES. More barriers were reported by the low SES group, with health conditions, neighborhood safety, and PA guidelines knowledge emerging as most salient. Time emerged as a prominent barrier for the high SES group. Integrated and identified regulations should be fostered in future interventions and policy regardless of SES. Barriers to PA varied across SES groups; thus future interventions and policy should account for such differences.

Associations Between Parental Psychological Control and Autonomy Support, and Psychological Outcomes in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration

Relatively few studies have examined the mediating role of basic psychological needs in the relationship between parenting and psychological outcomes using a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework. This study aimed to examine the role of need satisfaction and need frustration as mediators of the association between parental psychological control, autonomy support and psychological outcomes. In a sample of 302 late adolescents, we found that parental psychological control was positively associated with feelings of need frustration and depression, whilst the concept of parental autonomy support was positively associated with feelings of need satisfaction and vitality. In turn, need satisfaction promoted feelings of vitality, whereas need frustration led to feelings of depression. Satisfaction of needs was a full mediator of the relationship between autonomy support and vitality, while frustration of needs was a full mediator of the relationship between psychological control and depression. These findings are discussed in terms of SDT. We also discuss how future research may further increase our understanding of the dynamics involved in psychological control, autonomy support and psychological outcomes.

Autonomous Motivation and Pro-Environmental Behaviours Among Bedouin Students in Israel: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

AbstractPromoting pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) among students is a major concern for educators. The present article presents an educational program based on a self-determination theory framework (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) and a study demonstrating that working according to the theoretical principles presented in the program leads to the desired outcomes. The primary aim of the study was to test whether a hypothesised model in which autonomy support by students’ parents and moderators in a large-scale intervention program would be associated with autonomous motivation, which would in turn lead to PEBs, over and above the contributions of the students’ self-perceived competence and relatedness. The participants were 102 Bedouin high-school students (Grades 8 to 10) sampled from a cultural background characterised by a collectivist-hierarchical society in Israel. The results, based on structural equation modelling, indicated that moderators and parental autonomy support, as well as self-perceived relatedness and competence, were associated with students’ autonomous motivation, which in turn was associated with pro-environmental behaviours (including cleaning behaviours, activism, and preserving behaviours). The study supported the hypothesised model and demonstrated that SDT can be utilised as a theoretical framework for educational programs aimed at improving students’ self-determined PEBs.

Linking servant leadership to individual performance: Differentiating the mediating role of autonomy, competence and relatedness need satisfaction

How can a servant leader focusing primarily on followers' growth and well-being influence the achievement of organizational outcomes? Despite a growing stream of academic studies exploring positive outcomes of servant leadership practice, little is known empirically about the underlying psychological processes that are activated to enhance individual performance at work. Using the autonomous motivational framework of Self-Determination Theory's (SDT) basic psychological needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000), we propose that a servant leader's attentive focus on employees' development helps fulfill employees' three basic psychological needs, namely for autonomy, competence and relatedness. In turn, satisfaction of each of these three needs fuels employees in a distinct way, either producing an increase in task performance, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) or both. We collected information from 247 supervisor–employee dyads from a large Canadian technology design and manufacturing company. Structural equation modeling results indicate that servant leadership strongly predicted all three needs' satisfaction; autonomy need satisfaction mediated servant leadership's effect on task performance, OCB-Individual (OCB-I) and OCB-Organization (OCB-O); competence need satisfaction mediated servant leadership's effect on task performance only; and relatedness need satisfaction mediated servant leadership's effect on both OCB-I and OCB-O.

Are both classroom autonomy support and structure equally important for students' engagement? A multilevel analysis

The current study was carried out within the framework of self-determination theory and aimed to investigate specific, additive and combined effects of teachers' autonomy support and structure on students' engagement. Using multilevel analyses, main effects and interaction of autonomy support and structure provided at the classroom level were tested on behavioral, cognitive and emotional engagement. 744 ninth grade students from 51 classes completed a questionnaire about their engagement during language classes and their perceptions of the teacher's provision of autonomy support and structure. The results highlight the links between classroom context, especially structure, and the three components of engagement. Autonomy support has a complementary role as it was associated with emotional engagement. These results improve our understanding of the relationships between learning environment and engagement and provide more accurate indications to teachers and educators regarding the most effective ways to enhance students' engagement.