Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study

Student motivation represents an important factor in their academic performance. The present study explored university students' academic motivation across the academic year and its relationship with psychological need satisfaction in the study context and academic adjustment. Deci and Ryan...

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Main Authors: Melita Puklek Levpušček, Anja Podlesek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Rijeka 2019-12-01
Series:Psychological Topics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://pt.ffri.hr/pt/article/view/505
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author Melita Puklek Levpušček
Anja Podlesek
author_facet Melita Puklek Levpušček
Anja Podlesek
author_sort Melita Puklek Levpušček
collection DOAJ
description Student motivation represents an important factor in their academic performance. The present study explored university students' academic motivation across the academic year and its relationship with psychological need satisfaction in the study context and academic adjustment. Deci and Ryan's SelfDetermination Theory (SDT) presents a theoretical framework of this study. 124 students participated in both waves of data collection. They answered the Academic Motivation Scale, College Version (AMS-C 28) in the fall of the academic year, and seven months later they answered the question about their certainty of study choice and completed again the AMS-C 28. Additionally, they answered the items about their psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in the current academic year and the items about their satisfaction with the study. The results showed that all forms of academic motivation (as distributed along the SDT motivational continuum) remained highly stable within one academic year. More autonomous motivational orientation related to higher perceived satisfaction of psychological needs. Furthermore, it significantly predicted students' satisfaction with the study and certainty about the study choice. When students'satisfaction of psychological needs in the current academic year was entered into the regression model, it predicted satisfaction with the study and certainty in study choice over and above the students' level of autonomous motivation. The study showed the importance of creating learning environments that respond to students' psychological study needs.
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spelling doaj.art-4f3635ff03274dedacdf8ea10513c3a32022-12-21T17:44:43ZengUniversity of RijekaPsychological Topics1332-07422019-12-01283Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their StudyMelita Puklek Levpušček0Anja Podlesek1University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology, LjubljanaUniversity of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology, LjubljanaStudent motivation represents an important factor in their academic performance. The present study explored university students' academic motivation across the academic year and its relationship with psychological need satisfaction in the study context and academic adjustment. Deci and Ryan's SelfDetermination Theory (SDT) presents a theoretical framework of this study. 124 students participated in both waves of data collection. They answered the Academic Motivation Scale, College Version (AMS-C 28) in the fall of the academic year, and seven months later they answered the question about their certainty of study choice and completed again the AMS-C 28. Additionally, they answered the items about their psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in the current academic year and the items about their satisfaction with the study. The results showed that all forms of academic motivation (as distributed along the SDT motivational continuum) remained highly stable within one academic year. More autonomous motivational orientation related to higher perceived satisfaction of psychological needs. Furthermore, it significantly predicted students' satisfaction with the study and certainty about the study choice. When students'satisfaction of psychological needs in the current academic year was entered into the regression model, it predicted satisfaction with the study and certainty in study choice over and above the students' level of autonomous motivation. The study showed the importance of creating learning environments that respond to students' psychological study needs.https://pt.ffri.hr/pt/article/view/505tertiary educationacademic motivationbasic psychological needsstudy satisfactioncertainty about study choiceregression analysis
spellingShingle Melita Puklek Levpušček
Anja Podlesek
Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
Psychological Topics
tertiary education
academic motivation
basic psychological needs
study satisfaction
certainty about study choice
regression analysis
title Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
title_full Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
title_fullStr Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
title_full_unstemmed Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
title_short Links between Academic Motivation, Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education, and University Students' Satisfaction with Their Study
title_sort links between academic motivation psychological need satisfaction in education and university students satisfaction with their study
topic tertiary education
academic motivation
basic psychological needs
study satisfaction
certainty about study choice
regression analysis
url https://pt.ffri.hr/pt/article/view/505
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