Exploring the Mediating Role of Relatedness Support in Autonomy Support, Structural Support, and Motivation: Satisfaction and Instrumental Help of Student-Teacher Relationships (Poster 9)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 9:00 am
  In Poster Session: Motivational Beliefs, Context, and Consequences

Abstract

Positive student-teacher relationships (STR), including satisfaction and instrumental help, are crucial for students' academic success. According to the relationships motivation theory, STR can be seen as a resource for fulfilling relatedness needs, differentiating between relating to others as objects (instrumental help) and relating to others as persons (satisfaction). STR can be influenced by teachers' instructional support and, in turn, impact students’ motivation. This study examined the impact of teachers' instructional support on motivation and the mediating role of different aspects of STR. Participants were 574 high school students from the Midwest region in the US. Data were analyzed using SEM. The results showed that satisfaction with STR played a mediating role between autonomy support, structural support, and autonomous motivation.

Authors

• Jingwen He, University of North Texas

• Zilu Jiang, Johns Hopkins University

• Kui Xie, University of Missouri