Instructor High-Arousal, Positive Affect, Relatedness Need Satisfaction, and East Asian College Student Engagement

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division C - Section 2b: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

Instructor high-arousal, positive affect (i.e., instructor enthusiasm) in the classroom is important for student emotional wellbeing, motivation, and performance, with preliminary findings highlighting these relationships across diverse student groups. However, research on students of Asian heritage is limited, and the mechanisms through which instructor enthusiasm relate to these outcomes has not been sufficiently explored. In the current study, 369 East Asian college students were surveyed to examine the relationship between instructor enthusiasm and student engagement, with relatedness need satisfaction hypothesized as an important mediating mechanism. Using structural equation modeling, we found that East Asian college students’ perceptions of instructor enthusiasm was positively associated with relatedness need satisfaction, and in turn, relatedness need satisfaction was positively associated with their classroom engagement.

Authors

• Diane Lee, University of Southern California

• Erika A. Patall, University of Southern California