Reciprocal Effects of Teachers’ Volitional Functioning Support and Students’ Intrinsic Motivation

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts Poster Session 2

Abstract

Self-determination Theory (SDT, Deci & Ryan 1985) holds that teachers who support students’ basic needs (autonomy, competence, social relatedness) at the same time promote their intrinsic motivation (Reeve et al. 2008). This paper sets out to test (1) if these predictions of SDT are also valid for the domain ‘Accountancy’ and (2) if basic need support is more likely to be found in learning contexts characterized by self-regulation and cooperation than in traditional teacher-led instruction. A Structure Equation Model on 396 students from Austrian vocational secondary colleges shows that basic need and structure support affects students’ Accountancy performance (via identified regulation) and wellbeing. A Multiple Group Analysis reveals that students in self-regulated and cooperative learning environments perceive higher motivational support.

Author

• Christoph Helm, Johannes Kepler University of Linz