scholarly journals Supervisory Practices for Intrinsic Motivation of Doctoral Students: A Self-determination Theory Perspective

10.28945/4415 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 581-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar ◽  
Amrita Kaur

Aim/Purpose: The quality, degree of effort and persistence required in doctoral studies can be sustained through intrinsic motivation. Despite the critical role of motivation, studies that examine ways to promote doctoral students’ motivation are lacking. This study, drawing on the self-determination theoretical (SDT) framework, aims to offer advice for supervisory practices to facilitate the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs- autonomy, competence and relatedness of doctoral students’ motivation. The focus was on the experiences of the doctoral candidates who participated in this study. Background: Prior studies have established that creating environment and ways that lead to satisfaction of three basic psychological needs are capable of producing optimal outcomes. Based on that assumption the current study explores the ways in which supervisory practices lead to satisfaction of the three needs. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative approach and used the experience sampling method to collect data from 11 full-time doctoral students from a research-intensive university in New Zealand. In total, 72 entries that captured students’ real-time psychological experience of supervision in a repeated manner were used to analyse the data. Contribution: It proposes theory driven practices/guidelines for supervisors to adopt for effective supervisory practices for intrinsic motivation of doctoral students. Findings: Thematic analysis guided by the research question revealed that to have students experience autonomy support the supervisors must respect students’ research interest, encourage self-initiation, and be amenable to changes suggested by the students. To have students experience the feeling of competence, the supervisors carefully need to consider the quality, mode and time of feedback and provide students with optimal challenge level. Finally, to facilitate students’ need for relatedness, the supervisors should offer personal and professional support to students and look after their emotional well-being. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study highlights the need for supervisors to acknowledge the role of need satisfaction and mindfully adopt the practices to facilitate the satisfaction of the three needs for the intrinsic motivation of the doctoral students. Recommendation for Researchers: The researchers should consider the psychological health and well-being of doctoral students for persistence and successful completion of their studies. Impact on Society: The study can help improve doctoral studies completion rates as well as produce doctoral candidates with a positive and healthy disposition for future workforce. Future Research: The current study relies only on students’ self-report data. In future inclusion of data from supervisors of their own practices would enhance the quality of findings. Additionally, an analysis to chart changes in students’ experiences over time would provide a deeper understanding of the effect of supervisory practices.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quang Ngoc Nguyen ◽  
Thuy-Tien Thi La ◽  
Mai Thi Phan ◽  
Thuy-Dung Ninh

Nghiên cứu được tiến hành dựa trên lý thuyết tự quyết nhằm tìm hiểu về mối liên hệ giữa sự thỏa mãn các nhu cầu tâm lý cơ bản, động lực học tập, và trì hoãn trong học tập ở sinh viên. Mẫu nghiên cứu là mẫu thuận tiện với 341 sinh viên có độ tuổi trong khoảng từ 19 đến 26. Trong đó, nam chiếm 11.7% và nữ chiếm 88.3%. Mức độ thỏa mãn các nhu cầu tâm lý cơ bản, các loại động lực học tập, và mức độ trì hoãn trong học tập được đo lường bởi các thang đo. Kết quả phân tích tương quan cho thấy trì hoãn trong học tập có tương quan nghịch chiều với các loại động lực học tập tự chủ và mức độ thỏa mãn các nhu cầu tâm lý cơ bản. Phân tích đường dẫn cho thấy sự thỏa mãn nhu cầu gắn kết và nhu cầu tự chủ góp phần làm tăng sự thỏa mãn nhu cầu năng lực, qua đó làm giảm tình trạng thiếu động lực học tập đồng thời làm tăng động lực hướng đến thành tựu, và dẫn tới mức độ trì hoãn học tập thấp hơn. Các kết quả nghiên cứu ửng hộ giả thuyết của lý thuyết tự quyết về vai trò của việc đáp ứng các nhu cầu tâm lý cơ bản nhằm thúc đẩy động lực bên trong. [The study was conducted based on the self-determination theory to examine the relationships between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, academic motivation, and academic procrastination among students. The sample was a convenient ?one with 341 students aged between 19 and 26. In particular, males accounted for 11.7% and females accounted for 88.3%. The level of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, the types of academic motivation, and the level of academic procrastination were measured by several scales. The results of correlation analysis showed that the academic procrastination was negatively correlated with autonomous academic motivations and the level of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Path analysis showed that the satisfaction of relatedness and autonomy needs contributed to the satisfaction of competence need, thereby reducing amotivation and increasing intrinsic motivation towards achievement which lead to lower levels of academic procrastination. The findings supported the hypothesis of self-determination theory about the role of meeting basic psychological needs in order to promote intrinsic motivation.]


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Ferrand ◽  
Sandra Nasarre ◽  
Christophe Hautier ◽  
Marc Bonnefoy

The purpose of this study was to identify the motivational profiles of physically active older adults and to achieve a better understanding of their perceived motives to explain their regular physical activity behavior in relation to self-determination theory (SDT). To address these aims, this study used quantitative and qualitative approaches. Older adults (n = 92; M = 74.95, SD = 4.6) completed the French version of the Sport Motivational Scale. A cluster analysis showed two motivational profiles with differential motivational patterns. The first was named the high combined profile, with high scores on intrinsic motivation and introjected regulation and low levels of external regulation. The second profile was the low to moderate motivational profile, with low scores on intrinsic motivation and moderate scores on introjected regulation. The qualitative study’s results demonstrate the usefulness of SDT in explaining the relationship between these motivational profiles and the intertwining of the three basic psychological needs.


Author(s):  
Cesar Orsini ◽  
Phillip Evans ◽  
Oscar Jerez

Purpose: Internalization of students’ motivation towards an intrinsic form is associated with increased interest, commitment, learning, and satisfaction with education. Self-Determination theory postulates that intrinsic motivation and autonomous forms of self-regulation are the desired type of motivation; as they have been associated with deep learning, better performance and well-being. It claims three basic psychological needs have to be satisfied in order to achieve intrinsic motivation. These are the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. This study aims to provide a review on how these basic psychological needs are encouraged in undergraduate students so they can be transferred to the clinical teaching environment. Methods: Electronic searches were performed across four databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and ERIC), relevant journals, and retrieved bibliography of selected articles. In total, searches produced 4,869 references, from which 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Main themes were coded in three categories: The support of autonomy, competence and relatedness. The research-based evidence appears to be of reasonable quality, and indicates that teachers should work to satisfy students’ basic psychological needs to foster internalization of self-regulation. Our findings suggest that teachers should interact with students in a more ‘human centred’ teaching style, as these actions predict motivational internalization. Several themes emerged from different contexts and further investigation should expand them. Conclusion: This review identified actions that clinical teachers could implement in their daily work to support students’ self-determination. Autonomy supportive teaching in health professions educations would benefit students and may actually result in more effective health care delivery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Linlin Feng ◽  
Lelin Zhang

We linked self-determination theory and prosociality, and explored the mediating role of three dimensions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, namely, competence, autonomy, and relatedness, in the relationship between prosocial tendencies and subjective well-being. We explored these relationships using a cross-sectional research design with 1,106 Chinese adults. Results show that the public prosocial tendencies of men (vs. women) were higher, and competence, autonomy, and relatedness mediated the positive relationship between prosocial tendencies and subjective well-being. The indirect effect of relatedness was stronger than those of competence and autonomy, demonstrating the importance of relatedness in a collectivistic society like China. Our findings deepen understanding of the underlying mechanisms between prosociality and subjective well-being as mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction, and may encourage people to engage in prosocial behavior.


Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 328-334
Author(s):  
Ana Margarida Martins Domingues ◽  
Jorge Manuel Folgado dos Santos ◽  
João Julio Matos Serrano ◽  
Marco Batista ◽  
João Manuel Duarte Petrica

The Theory of Self-Determination has been used as a theoretical model of support in several studies on motivation in Sport. In this sense, we realize that motivation is a topic to which researchers have devoted much of their time, however, when researching adapted sports, and the person with Intellectual and Developmental Difficulty we observe a shortage in research. This study aimed to verify the levels of self-determination and subjective well-being of athletes members of the Special Olympics of Portugal, and ii) to compare the variables under analysis according to gender. In this quantitative study participated 94 athletes of Adapted Sports, aged between 11 and 63 years (ẋ=32.61 ± SD=13.8) of both genders, competitors of individual and collective sports. The monitoring instruments used were Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ), Basic Psychological Needs Exercise Scale (BPNES), Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS) and Positive and Negative Attachment Scale (PANAS). Data analysis was based on the verification of the internal consistency of the scales applied through the calculation of alpha and Cronbach, descriptive analysis of data and application for gender comparison through the nonparametric test U Mann-Whitney, as well as a linear regression, meeting a significance level of 0.05. As a result, we observed that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and motivation predict good levels of life satisfaction also of positive attachment. We also found statistically significant differences in life satisfaction and negative attachments when comparing gender outcomes. Resumen. La Teoría de la Autodeterminación se ha utilizado como modelo teórico de apoyo en varios estudios sobre la motivación en el Deporte. En este sentido, nos damos cuenta de que la motivación es un tema al que los investigadores han dedicado gran parte de su tiempo, sin embargo, a la hora de investigar deportes adaptados, y la persona con Dificultad Intelectual y de Desarrollo observamos una escasez en la investigación. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo verificar los niveles de autodeterminación y bienestar subjetivo de los atletas miembros de las Olimpiadas Especiales de Portugal, y ii) comparar las variables bajo análisis según género. En este estudio cuantitativo participaron 94 deportistas de Deportes Adaptados, con edades entre 11 y 63 años (ẋ = 32,61 ± DE = 13,8) de ambos sexos, competidores de deportes individuales y colectivos. Los instrumentos de seguimiento utilizados fueron el Cuestionario de Regulación Conductual en el Deporte (BRSQ), la Escala de Ejercicio de Necesidades Psicológicas Básicas (BPNES), la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida (SWLS) y la Escala de Apego Positivo y Negativo (PANAS). El análisis de los datos se basó en la verificación de la consistencia interna de las escalas aplicadas mediante el cálculo de alfa y Cronbach, análisis descriptivo de los datos y aplicación para la comparación de género mediante la prueba no paramétrica U Mann-Whitney, así como una regresión lineal, cumpliendo un nivel de significancia de 0.05. Como resultado, observamos que la satisfacción de las necesidades psicológicas básicas y la motivación predicen buenos niveles de satisfacción con la vida también del apego positivo. También encontramos diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la satisfacción con la vida y los apegos negativos al comparar los resultados de género.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Gonzalez ◽  
Heeyun Kim ◽  
Allyson Flaster

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine doctoral students’ developmental trajectories in well-being and disciplinary identity during the first three years of doctoral study. Design/methodology/approach This study relies on data from a longitudinal study of PhD students enrolled at a large, research-intensive university in the USA. A group-based trajectory modeling approach is used to examine varying trajectories of well-being and disciplinary identity. Findings The authors find that students’ physical health, mental health and disciplinary identity generally decline during the first few years of doctoral study. Despite this common downward trend, the results suggest that six different developmental trajectories exist. Students’ backgrounds and levels of stress, psychological needs satisfaction, anticipatory socialization experiences and prior academic success predict group membership. Originality/value Although there is emergent evidence of a mental health crisis in graduate education scant evidence exists about the way in which well-being changes over time as students progress through their doctoral studies. There is also little evidence of how these changes might be related to academic processes such as the development of disciplinary identity. This study reported varying baseline degrees of well-being and disciplinary identity and offers that stress and unmet psychological needs might be partially responsible for varying trajectories.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taewon Kim ◽  
Blake A. Allan

Underemployment is a global problem that is increasing in the context of recovering economic recessions and insecure job markets. In this context, vocational psychologists can play a unique role by determining the processes by which underemployment relates to aspects of work well-being, such as meaningful work. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the relation between underemployment and meaningful work as well as to investigate potential mediators of this relation. Specifically, with a sample of 351 working adults in the United States, we investigated how underemployment related to the meaningful work via the self-determination needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Partially supporting hypotheses, underemployment was negatively related to autonomy and relatedness but positively related to competence. In turn, autonomy and competence were positively related to meaningful work, whereas relatedness was unrelated to meaningful work. These results offer insights into how underemployment might affect the meaningfulness of work and how employers and practitioners can help underemployed workers.


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