Beneficial for some or for everyone? Exploring the effects of an autonomy-supportive intervention in the real-life classroom.

Autor/inn/en	Flunger, Barbara; Mayer, Axel; Umbach, Nora
Titel	Beneficial for some or for everyone? Exploring the effects of an autonomy-supportive intervention in the real-life classroom.
Quelle	In: Journal of educational psychology, 111 (2019) 2, S. 210-234Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-0663; 1939-2176
DOI	10.1037/edu0000284
Schlagwörter	Autonomie; Selbstwirksamkeit; Schule; Leistungsmotivation; Lernen; Bedürfnisbefriedigung; Intervention
Abstract	The present study investigated whether an autonomy-supportive intervention influenced students' need satisfaction, achievement emotions, and strategies of self-regulated learning differently depending on several student characteristics. The study was conducted with a sample of 345 9th-grade students in 17 physics classrooms who were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control condition. In both conditions, their physics teachers taught a standardized teaching unit on heat transfer that either entailed autonomy support (via provision of choices, provision of rationales, and informational language) or was taught using the regular teaching style. A range of student characteristics (gender, prior physics grades, physics-related effort, interest, extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived autonomy in physics class) were considered as potential moderators. The differential effectiveness of the autonomy-supportive intervention was investigated using the EffecLiteR approach. Both the average effects of the intervention and conditional effects (i.e., distinct interactions of the intervention with each of the student characteristics) were investigated. Analyzing average treatment effects revealed that the autonomy-supportive intervention had a positive impact on all outcomes. The intervention fostered need satisfaction, positive achievement emotions, and learning behaviors and reduced negative emotions. Moreover, the results showed that students' prior grades moderated the effects of the intervention with regard to 3 outcomes: Students with higher grades reported greater optional choices, joy and effort. These findings point to the benefits of providing autonomy support in physics and demonstrate the relevance of conducting a detailed analysis of the differential effects of motivational interventions. Educational Impact and Implications Statement The present study suggests that an autonomy-supportive intervention in physics classes provided through physics teachers can be a useful method to promote students' need satisfaction, achievement emotions, and strategies of self-regulated learning, irrespective of their initial motivation and engagement. A detailed analysis of effects revealed that prior physics grades moderated the effects of the intervention on 3 of the 12 considered state outcomes (optional choices, joy, and effort). Thus, it seems worthwhile to consider a broader range of student characteristics in the design of interventions, to incorporate additional support for those students with the highest needs. (ZPID).
Erfasst von	Leibniz-Institut für Psychologie, Trier
Update	2021/1