Patterns of Agentic Engagement, Autonomy Support, and Extrinsic Motivation in Middle School Science

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Motivational Climates: Centering Teacher, Classroom, and School Processes (Table 10)

Abstract

This mixed methods study explored two middle school science teachers’ autonomy supportive vs. thwarting responses to instances of student agentic engagement and examined changes in the students’ extrinsic motivation for science over time. Coding of four lessons across three class sections revealed differences between teachers in the proportion and consistency of autonomy-supportive vs. thwarting responses to instances of student agentic engagement. These qualitative patterns aligned with two quantitative results: 1) a difference in post-unit student extrinsic motivation between the teachers and 2) a difference in post- versus pre-unit extrinsic motivation within one class taught by the less autonomy-supportive teacher. Findings highlight the importance of autonomy-supportive teaching practices for promoting student agentic engagement and motivation in service of deeper science learning.

Authors

• Pei Pei Liu, Colby College

• Josephine Au Bwae, Colby College

• Erin Quirk, Colby College

• Jennifer A. Schmidt, Michigan State University

• Gwen C. Marchand, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Christopher J. Harris, WestEd

• Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia, Michigan State University