Student-Teacher Relatedness and Classroom Engagement: A Cultural Exploration

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Student-Teacher Relationships in Diverse Contexts: Relationships, Relatedness, and Support

Abstract

Self-Determination Theory asserts that the basic psychological needs of relatedness, autonomy, and competence are central to human motivation. However, findings from diverse populations suggest that these needs may not be equally important to everyone. In this study, we surveyed a culturally-diverse sample of high-school students (n=218) to examine whether students’ daily perceptions of relatedness to their teachers predicted daily engagement, and whether students’ independent vs. interdependent self-construal (i.e., the self as separate or connected to others) moderated this relationship. Results showed that students’ daily relatedness positively predicted engagement. Furthermore, daily relatedness had a stronger effect on some engagement types for students with higher independent self-construal. Our findings suggest the importance of incorporating self-construal when examining motivational outcomes.

Authors

• Diane Lee, University of Southern California

• Amanda Vite, University of Southern California

• Erika A. Patall, University of Southern California