Autonomy and Agentic Engagement Among First-Generation College Students: Exploring Their Resources for Psychological Need Satisfaction

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session: Process, Methods, and Outcomes

Abstract

This mixed-method study of self-determination theory examined the experience of psychological need satisfaction among first-generation students at a large university. Students (n=211) were surveyed regarding their motives for college, autonomy orientations, need satisfaction, teaching practices they encountered, and agentic engagement in class. Interdependent motives for college did not differ in association with asserted (self-reliant) or assisted (environmentally-supported) orientations toward experiencing autonomy. However, only assisted orientation predicted significantly greater need satisfaction in college. Alongside supportive teacher practices, asserted autonomy orientation predicted increased agentic engagement. Participants’ narratives of satisfying and frustrating college experiences revealed potentially contested meanings surrounding the active pursuit of satisfaction. This research highlights how environmental supports intertwine with first-generation students’ beliefs and active efforts to nurture inner motivational resources.

Authors

• Jen L. Freeman, The University of Texas at Austin

• Diane L. Schallert, The University of Texas at Austin