Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs
Publication Date
Fall 10-14-2024
Abstract
College students endeavor to navigate the complexities of higher education while simultaneously striving to meet their physical and psychological needs. Delving into Self-Determination Theory, this study identified competence, relatedness, and autonomy as the basic psychological needs. Three mediation models investigated how instructor-supported psychological need satisfaction for competence, relatedness, and autonomy directly and indirectly affects perceived learning. The mediators were four types of engagement: affective engagement in learning, affective engagement in school, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement. 206 college students participated in the study by completing questionnaires during the spring semester of 2023. The results of the mediation models revealed that the satisfaction of all three psychological needs had significant and large total effects on perceived learning, reaffirming theoretical underpinnings. Notably, affective engagement was predicted by the satisfaction of all three needs, whereas behavioral engagement was not influenced by any, and cognitive engagement was significantly affected only by relatedness.
Keywords
psychological needs, self-determination theory, engagement, learning, college, teacher or instructor support
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Degree Name
Educational Psychology
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
Individual, Family, and Community Education
First Committee Member (Chair)
Dr. Terri Flowerday
Second Committee Member
Dr. Yu-Yu Hsiao
Third Committee Member
Dr. Carolyn Hushman
Fourth Committee Member
Dr. Cathy Huaqing Qi
Fifth Committee Member
Dr. Cara Streit
Recommended Citation
Guler, Gulay. "Instructor-Supported Psychological Need Satisfaction as a Predictor of Student Engagement and Learning in College." (2024). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_ifce_etds/149
