Amotivation and influence of teacher support dimensions: A self-determination theory approach

Psychological wellbeing in Chinese university students: insights into the influences of academic self-concept, teacher support, and student engagement

Objective

This study investigates the complex interplay between academic self-concept, teacher support, student engagement, and psychological wellbeing among Chinese university students. We aimed to elucidate the mediating role of student engagement in these relationships.

Methods

A sample of 597 Chinese undergraduate students from diverse universities participated in the study. We employed structured questionnaires to assess academic self-concept, teacher support, student engagement, and psychological wellbeing. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test our hypothesized model.

Results

Structural equation modeling indicated that the partial mediation model, which considered both direct and indirect effects, outperformed full mediation and direct effect models. Student engagement significantly mediated the relationships between academic self-concept, teacher support, and psychological wellbeing. Importantly, teacher support demonstrated a direct impact on psychological wellbeing, even when accounting for the mediating role of student engagement.

Conclusion

This study underscores the pivotal role of student engagement as a mediator in the relationship between academic self-concept, teacher support, and psychological wellbeing among Chinese university students. While student engagement plays a substantial mediating role, our findings also recognize the persistent direct influence of teacher support on psychological wellbeing. These insights have implications for educators and policymakers aiming to enhance the wellbeing of university students by fostering positive academic self-concept and teacher support while recognizing the importance of student engagement.

The relationships between amotivation, employee engagement, introjected regulation, and intrinsic motivation: A double-layered moderated-mediation model

The objective of this research is to examine the amotivation-turnover intention relationship through self-determination theory (SDT). A double-layered moderated-mediation model was developed to investigate the influence of three components: affective, continuance, and normative commitment on turnover intention. The data collected from 771 faculty members from higher educational institutions (HEI) in southern India were analyzed to test the hypothesized relationships. After testing the psychometric properties of the survey instrument through LISREL software of structural equation modeling, Hayes's PROCESS was used to test the structural model. The results indicate that (i) amotivation was negatively related to normative commitment, (ii) normative commitment was negatively related to turnover intentions, and (iii) normative commitment mediated the relationship between amotivation and turnover intentions. The findings also suggest that affective commitment (first moderator) and continuance commitment (second moderator) interact with amotivation to influence normative commitment. Further, the three-way interaction between normative commitment, intrinsic motivation, and introjected regulation to decrease turnover intention was significant. The double-layered moderated-mediation model is a novel concept that contributes to the literature on commitment and motivation. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.