Do No Harm: The Pernicious Negative Effects of External Control Across Three School Subjects

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Division C Poster Session

Abstract

For many students, education may offer opportunities for growth and self-discovery. For others, it is a path forced upon them. In this study, we sought to identify students' motivational profiles and how those profiles change over the course of a school year at six secondary schools. We measured students' intrinsic and extrinsic regulation to create profiles at two time points, and investigated how the pattern of changes between motivational profiles related to teacher autonomy support, structure, and external control. The most significant pattern for increasing students' intrinsic regulation in relation to external regulation came through a reduction in perceptions of teacher control. Results indicate the importance of minimizing negative external control during the transition from elementary to secondary school.

Authors

• W. L. Quint Oga-Baldwin, Waseda University

• Luke K. Fryer, The University of Hong Kong