Determinants of classroom engagement: a prospective test based on self-determination theory

ABSTRACT

This research has a dual purpose: to translate into Spanish and validate a classroom engagement measure and, over a semester, to analyse the effect of students’ perception of autonomy support on the need for autonomy and the effect of autonomy, in turn, on four types of engagement. Data were collected at three time points from 448 undergraduate students via a longitudinal design. The results revealed adequate psychometric properties for the engagement scale, and the hypothesised effects were supported. Autonomy support was a significant predictor of the need for autonomy, which, in turn, predicted changes in four types of classroom engagement. Emotional engagement displayed the strongest relationship with need for autonomy. Moreover, need for autonomy mediated the relationship between perceived autonomy support and each indicator of student engagement. The findings are interpreted as supporting self-determination theory’s motivation mediation model and could be considered in future intervention programmes to improve the teaching–learning process in education.

KEYWORDS:

• Autonomy support
• autonomy need satisfaction
• engagement
• undergraduate students
• self-determination theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Educational Innovation Projects under grant [PIE- 35].

Notes on contributors

Juan L. Núñez

Juan L. Núñez, PhD, is Associate Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He is the head of the laboratory "Motivation, Education & Health" of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. His research focuses on factors that promote human motivation and lead to greater performance and psychological well-being.

Jaime León

Jaime León, PhD, is a postdoctoral research at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He completed his PhD at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 2010. His main interest is the optimization of students' potential.