A cross-classified path analysis of the self-determination theory model on the situational, individual and classroom levels in college education

Exploring Chinese and Ethiopian higher VET adolescent learning motivation through the lens of self‑determination theory

Ethiopia and China share a common educational agenda in cultivating and obtaining competent vocational graduates who fulfill the need of the modern, technologically advanced industrial workplace. Unlike most evidence, the present study adopted Self-determination Theory to understand Ethiopian and Chinese higher Vocational education and Training (VET) college students' learning motivation. Hence, this study recruited and interviewed 10 volunteers senior higher VET students from each setting to unfold their satisfaction with psychological needs. The study's main finding affirms that although both groups felt the autonomy of choosing the vocational field they sought to master, their learning process was submissive to their henpecked teaching method, which ultimately restrained the participants' feeling of competence for being enclosed in less practical training space. As per the study findings, we forward feasible policy and practical implications suggested for meeting the motivational needs of VET students and promoting learning stability.

Course Transformation to Enhance Student Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Course: From a Self-Determination Theory Perspective

AIM

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether course transformation teaching strategies using repetitive quizzing and peer-tutor supplemental instruction help enhance students' learning experiences and learning outcomes based on self-determination theory.

BACKGROUND

Undergraduate baccalaureate pharmacology and pathophysiology courses were redesigned as part of a campus-wide course transformation program to promote students' perceptions of learning and academic achievement.

METHOD

Students in the nursing pathopharmacology course participated in the two-time online perception survey (pretest and posttest) and knowledge-based exams.

RESULTS

Results revealed that the course transformation implemented to support students' basic psychological needs was significantly associated with both learning outcomes and students' feelings of competence while also decreasing attrition rates.

CONCLUSION

Considering the depth and breadth of pathopharmacology content, the teaching intervention using repetitive quizzing and peer-tutor supplemental instruction may contribute to improving students' understanding of the course content while promoting their competence.

Emotion regulation, academic buoyancy, and academic adjustment of university students within a self-determination theory framework: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The transition from secondary to tertiary education seems to be a stressful period for many students since they need to adjust to the new academic environment.

METHOD

This article is a systematic review of 4,285 articles. The aim of this review was to investigate the factors in the university environment associated with emotion regulation, academic buoyancy, and academic adjustment of tertiary students within a self-determination theory framework in combination with the nascent third wave of Positive Psychology. Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria, all of which were rated as either good or moderate quality.

RESULTS

The bulk of the studies included in the systematic review reported individual factors, i.e., self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, academic factors, i.e., intention to drop out, learning climate, and family and social factors i.e., faculty, peer, and parental autonomy support.

DISCUSSION

In accordance with the third wave of Positive Psychology that focuses on how interpersonal and ecological factors create nurturing environments and positive institutions, the systematic review highlighted the factors that institutes should consider in order to help students adjust better to the academic environment.

Psychological Distress, Anxiety, and Academic Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Study Satisfaction Among Peruvian University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objective of this research study was to determine if psychological distress, anxiety, and academic self-efficacy predict satisfaction with studies in Peruvian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional and predictive design was used, in which 582 Peruvian university students participated, 243 men and 339 women, between the ages of 16 and 41. Student's t-statistics were used to analyze the differences in scores of psychological distress, anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and satisfaction with studies based on the sex of the participants, Pearson's R was used for the analysis of correlations between variables, and multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate the predictive model. In the analyses, the significance level was set at 0.05. The results show that men have higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and academic self-efficacy than women do (p < 0.01); high levels of psychological distress correlate with high levels of anxiety (r = 0.580, p < 0.01) and low levels of satisfaction with studies (r = -0.178, p < 0.01) and academic self-efficacy (r = -0.348, p < 0.01); high levels of anxiety correlate with low levels of satisfaction with studies (r = -0.122, p < 0.01) and academic self-efficacy (r = -0.192, p < 0.01); and high levels of academic self-efficacy correlate with high levels of satisfaction with studies (r = 0.429, p < 0.01). Academic self-efficacy was also found to predict satisfaction with studies (β = 0.429, p < 0.01). This concludes that, although there are significant correlations between psychological distress, anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and satisfaction with studies, academic self-efficacy is the variable that most predicts satisfaction with studies in Peruvian university students.

Motivation-Achievement Cycles in Learning: a Literature Review and Research Agenda

The question of how learners’ motivation influences their academic achievement and vice versa has been the subject of intensive research due to its theoretical relevance and important implications for the field of education. Here, we present our understanding of how influential theories of academic motivation have conceptualized reciprocal interactions between motivation and achievement and the kinds of evidence that support this reciprocity. While the reciprocal nature of the relationship between motivation and academic achievement has been established in the literature, further insights into several features of this relationship are still lacking. We therefore present a research agenda where we identify theoretical and methodological challenges that could inspire further understanding of the reciprocal relationship between motivation and achievement as well as inform future interventions. Specifically, the research agenda includes the recommendation that future research considers (1) multiple motivation constructs, (2) behavioral mediators, (3) a network approach, (4) alignment of intervals of measurement and the short vs. long time scales of motivation constructs, (5) designs that meet the criteria for making causal, reciprocal inferences, (6) appropriate statistical models, (7) alternatives to self-reports, (8) different ways of measuring achievement, and (9) generalizability of the reciprocal relations to various developmental, ethnic, and sociocultural groups.

Effects of an Autonomy Support Intervention on the Involvement of Higher Education Students

Intervention studies based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in educational contexts prove the importance of the teacher’s motivating interpersonal style, promoting positive results in students’ motivation. However, college practices and processes have new challenges. This study examines the repercussions of an intervention program with autonomy support on students’ involvement. The sample was randomly divided into two groups, an intervention group composed of 12 teachers, aged between 25 and 56 years (M = 35.38; SD = 7.71) and 113 students, aged between 18 and 28 years (M = 20.53; SD = 2.42); and a control group consisting of 12 teachers, aged between 25 and 44 years (M = 35.11; SD = 5.79), 107 students, aged between 18 and 39 years (M = 21; SD = 3.68). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on the motivating interpersonal style, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, academic motivation and student involvement. The results demonstrate in general the effectiveness of the intervention on the perception of autonomy support to improve student involvement; this relationship is mediated by the improvement of psychological needs and academic motivation. The results are discussed around the recommendation of motivational strategies that the higher education teacher should implement to promote students’ involvement.

Motivation and Continuance Intention towards Online Instruction among Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Effect of Burnout and Technostress

In-service teachers have various emotional and motivational experiences that can influence their continuance intention towards online-only instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a significant stress factor for their workplace. Derived from the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Job Demands–Resources Model (JD–R), and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the present research model includes technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) self-efficacy (SE), intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic (EM) work motivation, and occupational stress (OS) (i.e., burnout and technostress which have been examined in tandem) as key dimensions to explain the better continuance intention among in-service teachers to use online-only instruction (CI). Data for the research model were collected from 980 in-service teachers during the COVID-19 outbreak between April and May 2020. Overall, the structural model explained 70% of the variance in teachers’ CI. Motivational practices were directly and indirectly linked through OS with CI. The findings showed that IM has the most directly significant effect on teachers’ CI, followed by TPK-SE, and OS as significant, but lower predictors. IM was positively associated with TPK-SE and negatively associated with EM. The results offered valuable insights into how motivation constructs were related to OS and to a better understanding online instruction in an unstable work context, in order to support teachers in coping during working remotely.

Financial Independence and Academic Achievement: Are There Key Factors of Transition to Adulthood for Young Higher Education Students in Colombia?

Autonomy is conceptualized as the need for agency, self-actualization, and independence. Nowadays, financial independence and academic achievement for young populations may be considered as key aspects in the transition to adulthood in response to some contextual demands of different cultural environments. By means of a multi-level model, the present study aims to determine the influence and contribution of factors at individual level (e.g., sex, age, socioeconomic status, family financial support, awarded scholarships, personal finance, student loans) and school level (e.g., program quality, online programs, face to face programs) on the academic achievement of young higher education Colombian students. Data come from the scores of the national standardized academic achievement test administered in 2018 in Colombia. The sample included 234,386 students enrolled in 3,389 higher education institutions in Colombia. After controlling the effects of program quality, and the student’s previous academic abilities and socio-economic conditions, results showed that students with scholarships had higher scores than financially dependent students (those who had student loans) and financially independent students (those who self-funded their studies or who worked during the week) who had low scores in the national standardized academic achievement test.