Motivating and Demotivating Teaching Styles: A Person-Centered Approach

• In Event: AERA Virtual Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session: Contextual Factors, Teacher Motivation, and Motivational Interventions

Abstract

Self-determination theory proposes that students’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) are nutrients for engagement, well-being, and personal growth. Environments can promote or thwart these needs. Using a person-centered approach, cluster analysis generated combinations of perceived motivating (autonomy-support/structure) and demotivating (control/chaos) teaching styles to analyze group difference effects on students’ need-satisfaction, need-frustration, engagement, and disengagement. The sample consisted of 420 Peruvian university students. A four-cluster solution best fit the data. The supportive-style was related to only positive outcomes and the opposite was true for the thwartive-style. The demanding-style and the neglectful-style were related to moderate or low levels of positive and negative outcomes. These findings are the first to show the predictive power of each separate perceived teaching style.

Authors

• Lennia Matos, The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

• Dora Herrera, The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

• Rafael Gargurevich, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

• Benjamin Lira, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

• Moti Benita, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Johnmarshall Reeve, Australian Catholic University