Self-Determination Theory + Engagement

For my final project, I decided to dive into the Self-Determination Theory and how it relates to student engagement in the classroom. I have always been fascinated about student motivation and how, as a teacher, I can improve the intrinsic side of it so this is when it caused me to turn my attention, with the help from Dr. Ardito, to the Self-Determination theory. In order to get a better understanding, we must first ask a few questions. What is Self-Determination Theory? Where did it come from? What are the implications of the theory and how can we implement this in the classroom?

SDT, Self-Determination Theory, can be broken down into three different psychological needs. Autonomy, which refers to the freedom a student experiences during an activity. Competence, which refers to students feeling a sense of confidence and effectiveness when completing the work. Relatedness is the third and it refers to their sense of belonging and connection to those in the class. When a student has those three needs satisfied, they are much more likely to be driven and empowered to be engaged within the classroom. The video below is an extra resource to learn more about the SDT.

SDT was most famously studied by two psychologists, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. Both are currently professors at the University of Rochester. Their research began with focusing on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Throughout their research they increasingly became interested with self-determination. After writing a book detailing motivation and self determination in 1985, they followed up a book on the three psychological needs in 2001. Their text is called “Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness” and can be found here ←

The implications of this SDT are far-reaching and it would be in the best interest for educators to understand the theory. What I find fascinating is that I believe a majority of teachers understand the importance and know that students benefit from autonomy, relatedness and competence. However, for a multitude of reasons, they can’t seem to break away from a “controlling” or better known as “strict” style of teaching. Using the remainder of the blog post, I want to address the reasons teachers struggle to commit to the SDT and how, as a teacher, we can overcome this to produce a welcoming and engaging classroom instead.

When we think about the reasons teachers take a controlling grip on the classroom, it would be hard to look any further than the pressure they receive from above. Teachers often face job conditions that are highly focused on accountability and responsibility for student achievement. This causes teachers to feel the need to step in and control the path of learning to what they “feel” is best for the student’s self interest. The result of this is the destruction of autonomy within a classroom. As we know, when students do not feel autonomous in a class they can become passive or disengaged with the content. When they disengage, their passivity during learning activities causes teachers to endorse a more controlling style. The cycle is endless. Teachers constantly feel they have unmotivated or unengaged students and students constantly feel a lack of choice within the classroom. Additionally, teachers feel societal pressure to be the “adult in the room”. This causes them to take on a role of power and control increasing the already few obstacles teachers must jump to maintain an autonomous classroom.

Although it may appear difficult, teachers can absolutely produce an autonomous and engaging classroom. Teachers can avoid using controlling language such as “no, do it this way”, “stop that”, “hurry up” and “get started”. Instead, teachers can use supportive and flexible messages for students. Teachers can also provide students with patience and time for them to work at their own pace. Students that feel rushed begin to feel a lack of competence and autonomy within a classroom. Teachers can show their students they are not controlling during moments where the class expresses their negative feelings for anything regarding this class. If the teacher does not seem to listen or open to student expression, they will quickly feel a lack of voice within the classroom space. For my classes, I frequently ask for their feedback on quizzes, assignments and labs. Furthermore, when teachers provide an adequate explanation as to why the students are learning what they are, it allows students to justify their time and effort they put into learning it. Lastly, in order for teachers to ultimately make a consistent change, they will need to truly believe this method will be effective.

To conclude, rather than summarize SDT or provide my closing thoughts on the topic, I would rather leave you with a few methods that teachers can use to enhance competence, relatedness and autonomy in the classroom.

Competence:

- Provide scaffolded assignments that increase in difficultly as the assignment goes on

- Video games do a great job at this by finding the "goldilocks" of difficulty level

- Provide students small tasks at the beginning of each class to fulfill a feeling of completion

Relatedness:

- Provide collaboration opportunities for students to work with their classmates

- Generate material that is relatable and has meaning for the students

- Create a space for learners to share their knowledge and thoughts

Autonomy:

- Provide students with choice assignments

- Ask them to give feedback on activities

- Give them space to express themselves within the classroom

Please leave any comments or suggestions you have below!

Thank you!