Testing a self-determination theory intervention for motivating tobacco cessation: Supporting autonomy and competence in a clinical trial.

A longitudinal randomized trial tested the self-determination theory (SDT) intervention and process model of health behavior change for tobacco cessation (N = 1006). Adult smokers were recruited for a study of smokers' health and were assigned to intensive treatment or community care. Participants were relatively poor and undereducated. Intervention patients perceived greater autonomy support and reported greater autonomous and competence motivations than did control patients. They also reported greater medication use and significantly greater abstinence. Structural equation modeling analyses confirmed the SDT process model in which perceived autonomy support led to increases in autonomous and competence motivations, which in turn led to greater cessation. The causal role of autonomy support in the internalization of autonomous motivation, perceived competence, and smoking cessation was supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internalization of biopsychosocial values by medical students: A test of self-determination theory.

Two studies tested self-determination theory with 2nd-year medical students in an interviewing course. Study 1 revealed that (a) individuals with a more autonomous orientation on the General Causality Orientations Scale had higher psychosocial beliefs at the beginning of the course and reported more autonomous reasons for participating in the course, and (b) students who perceived their instructors as more autonomy-supportive became more autonomous in their learning during the 6-month course. Study 2, a 30-month longitudinal study, revealed that students who perceived their instructors as more autonomy-supportive became more autonomous in their learning, which in turn accounted for a significant increase in both perceived competence and psychosocial beliefs over the 20-week period of the course, more autonomy support when interviewing a simulated patient 6 months later, and stronger psychosocial beliefs 2 years later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing a Self-Determination Theory Process Model for Promoting Glycemic Control Through Diabetes Self-Management.

A longitudinal study tested the self-determination theory (SDT) process model of health behavior change for glycemic control within a randomized trial of patient activation versus passive education. Glycosylated hemoglobin for patients with Type 2 diabetes (n=159) was assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Autonomous motivation and perceived competence were assessed at baseline and 6 months, and the autonomy supportiveness of clinical practitioners was assessed at 3 months. Perceptions of autonomy and competence were promoted by perceived autonomy support, and changes in perceptions of autonomy and competence, in turn, predicted change in glycemic control. Self-management behaviors mediated the relation between change in perceived competence and change in glycemic control. The self-determination process model fit the data well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A motivational model of rural students' intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school.

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. The model argues that motivational variables underlie students' intentions to drop out and that students' motivation can be either supported in the classroom by autonomy-supportive teachers or frustrated by controlling teachers. LISREL analyses of questionnaire data from 483 rural high school students showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence. These motivational resources, in turn, predicted students' intentions to persist, versus drop out, and they did so even after controlling for the effect of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supporting autonomy to motivate patients with diabetes for glucose control

OBJECTIVE: We applied the self-determination theory of human motivation to examine whether patient perceptions of autonomy supportiveness (i.e., patient centeredness) from their diabetes care providers related to improved glucose control over a 12-month period. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients with diabetes from a diabetes treatment center at a university-affiliated community hospital. Participants were 128 patients between 18 and 80 years of age who took medication for diabetes, had no other major medical illnesses, and were responsible for monitoring their glucose and taking their medications. The main outcome measure was a change in HbA1c values over the 12 months of the study RESULTS: Patient perception of autonomy support from a health care provider related to a change in HbA1c values at 12 months (P < 0.05). Further analyses showed that perceived autonomy support from the staff related to significant increases in patient autonomous motivation at 12 months (P < 0.05); that increases in autonomous motivation related to significant increases in perceived competence (P < 0.05); and that increases in a patient's perceived competence related to significant reductions in their HbA1c values over 12 months (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the prediction of the self-determination theory that patients with diabetes whose health care providers are autonomy supportive will become more motivated to regulate their glucose levels, feel more able to regulate their glucose, and show improvements in their HbA1c values.     

Autonomous motivation for teaching: How self-determined teaching may lead to self-determined learning.

This study examined teachers' experience of autonomous motivation for teaching and its correlates in teachers and students. It was hypothesized that teachers would perceive various motivations posited by E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory as falling along a continuum of autonomous motivation for teaching. Autonomous motivation for teaching was predicted to be associated positively with teachers' sense of personal accomplishment and negatively with emotional exhaustion. Most important, teachers' self-reported autonomous motivation for teaching was expected to promote students' self-reported autonomous motivation for learning by enhancing teachers' autonomy-supportive behavior, as indicated by students' reports. Results from a sample of 132 Israeli teachers and their 1,255 students were consistent with the hypotheses. Discussion focuses on the importance of the experience of autonomous motivation for teaching for teachers and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A model of contextual motivation in physical education: Using constructs from self-determination and achievement goal theories to predict physical activity intentions.

Assessing the motivational responses of 328 secondary school students, this study examined a model of student motivation in physical education that incorporated constructs from achievement goal and self-determination theories. The focus was on the prediction of students' intention to partake in physical activity outside of physical education. Structural equation modeling analysis supported a model in which an autonomy-supportive climate, and to a lesser extent perceptions of a mastery climate, positively impacted hypothesized mediating variables (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness) to foster self-determined motivation. Self-determined motivation was found to positively predict, whereas amotivation was a negative predictor of leisure-time physical activity intentions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autonomy and Competence in German and American University Students: A Comparative Study Based on Self-Determination Theory.

According to self-determination theory (R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci, 2000), supports for autonomy and competence are essential for growth and well-being in any learning environment. Educational contexts differ in their relative support for these 2 needs. The authors examined the role of autonomy and competence in 2 German and 2 American university settings, as they were predicted to differ in terms of their relative emphasis on competence versus autonomy. Invariance analyses supported the construct comparability of the measures and demonstrated that German students felt significantly more autonomous and less competent than American students. Perceived pressures and positive informational feedback were modeled as antecedents of autonomy and competence, and well-being was examined as a consequence. The hypothesized model was generally supported across the 4 samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A self-determination theory perspective on parenting.

This article describes research on parenting that supports children's need for autonomy. First, the authors define parental autonomy support and distinguish it from permissiveness or independence promotion. The authors also define psychologically controlling parenting and distinguish it from behavioral control (structure). Second, the authors present studies examining how parental autonomy support promotes healthy development. Indeed, clear and consistent positive effects arise from different types of studies, conducted with children of various ages. Parent observation studies suggest that parental autonomy support is associated with infants' motivation and toddlers' internalization. Parent interview studies reveal that an autonomy-supportive parental attitude relates to children's adjustment at school. Children self-report studies demonstrate a clear link between perceptions of parental autonomy support and psychosocial functioning amongst adolescents. Third, the correlates and precursors of parental psychological control and autonomy support are presented, with a special focus on parents' trust in their children's ability to develop in an autonomous manner. Finally, ideas for future research are suggested. Although self-determination theory is not strictly a developmental theory, it seems highly pertinent to the socialization of children, their internalization and development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational predictors of weight loss and weight-loss maintenance.

Self determination theory proposes that behavior change will occur and persist if it is autonomously motivated. Autonomous motivation for a behavior is theorized to be a function both of individual differences in the autonomy orientation from the General Causality Orientations Scale and of the degree of autonomy supportiveness of relevant social contexts. We tested the theory with 128 patients in a 6-month, very-low-calorie weight-loss program with a 23-month follow-up. Analyses confirmed the predictions that (a) participants whose motivation for weight loss was more autonomous would attend the program more regularly, lose more weight during the program, and evidence greater maintained weight loss at follow-up, and (b) participants' autonomous motivation for weight loss would be predicted both by their autonomy orientation and by the perceived autonomy supportiveness of the interpersonal climate created by the health-care staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The study of compensation systems through the lens of self-determination theory: Reconciling 35 years of debate.

Although compensation specialists generally argue for incentive systems that link rewards to performance, self-determination theory argues that such contingent rewards can have detrimental effects on autonomous motivation. The authors present a model of the motivational effects of compensation systems that attempts to reconcile the self-determination theory view and the literature on compensation. This model evaluates how compensation system characteristics, such as the amount and variability of pay, can influence the satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which in turn influence autonomous work motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation, comportements organisationnels discrétionnaires et bien-être en milieu Africain: Quand le devoir oblige?

This study tested an organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) model based on the motivational model of job burnout (MMJB) with Gabonese employees (N = 146). It was hypothesized that to the degree that employees perceive their supervisors as promoting their autonomy, competence and relatedness, their motivation at work will be more self-determined. Supervisory style and motivation would then predict job satisfaction, which in turn influences life satisfaction. Work motivation and job satisfaction should also determine OCB and the latter should then influence life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling analyses overall support the model. However, altruism OCB was negatively related to self-determined motivations, which then negatively predicted life satisfaction. These results support SDT's prediction that a behaviour regulated by non-self-determined motivations will negatively affect well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial mediation of fruit and vegetable consumption in the body and soul effectiveness trial.

In this study the authors examined psychosocial variables as mediators for fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in a clustered, randomized effectiveness trial conducted in African American churches. The study sample included 14 churches (8 intervention and 6 control) with 470 participants from the intervention churches and 285 participants from the control churches. The outcome of FV intake and the proposed mediators were measured at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. Structural equation modeling indicated that the intervention had direct effects on social support, self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation; these variables also had direct effects on FV intake. Applying the M. E. Sobel (1982) formula to test significant mediated effects, the authors confirmed that social support and self-efficacy were significant mediators but that autonomous motivation was not. Social support and self-efficacy partially mediated 20.9% of the total effect of the intervention on changes in FV intake. The results support the use of strategies to increase social support and self-efficacy in dietary intervention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computer-assisted intervention improves patient-centered diabetes care by increasing autonomy support.

Objective: To determine if a patient-centered, computer-assisted diabetes care intervention increased perceived autonomy support, perceived competence (from self-determination theory), and if these constructs mediated the effect of the intervention on ADA/NCQA recommended diabetes care outcomes. Design: A randomized controlled trial of 866 adult type 2 diabetes patients in heterogeneous primary care settings in Colorado. Main Outcome Measures: Perceived autonomy support, perceived competence, patient satisfaction, glycemic control (HbA1c), ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, diabetes distress, and depressive symptoms. Results: The computer-assisted intervention increased patient perception of autonomy support relative to a computer-based control condition ( p = .05). Change in perceived competence partially mediated the effects of increased autonomy support on the change in lipids, diabetes distress, and depressive symptoms. The construct of autonomy support was found to be separate from that of patient satisfaction. Conclusions: A patient-centered, computer-assisted intervention was effective in improving diabetes self-management outcomes, in part, because it increased patients' perception that their autonomy was supported which changed perceived competence. These findings support the self-determination model for health behavior change and the chronic care model and support the further study of the use of these technologies to motivate patients to improve their health outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivating protégés' personal learning in teams: A multilevel investigation of autonomy support and autonomy orientation.

This study examined the roles of 3 multilevel motivational predictors in protégés' personal learning in teams: an autonomy-supportive team climate, mentors' autonomy support, and protégés' autonomy orientation. The authors followed 305 protégés in 58 teams for 12 weeks and found that all 3 predictors were positively related to the protégés' personal learning in teams and that an autonomy-supportive team climate augmented the effects of mentors' autonomy support and protégés' autonomy orientation on protégés' personal learning in teams. Protégés' personal learning in teams mediated the interactive effects of an autonomy-supportive team climate with mentors' autonomy support or protégés' autonomy orientation on protégés' behavioral and attitudinal outcomes, including their organizational citizenship behaviors and job involvement. The findings of this study provide business researchers and practitioners with valuable insights into the management of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Favoriser la motivation optimale et la santé mentale dans les divers milieux de vie.

Self-determination theory (SDT) differentiates motivation, with autonomous and controlled motivations constituting the key, broad distinction. Research has shown that autonomous motivation predicts persistence and adherence and is advantageous for effective performance, especially on complex or heuristic tasks that involve deep information processing or creativity. Autonomous motivation is also reliably related to psychological health. Considerable research has found interpersonal contexts that facilitate satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness to enhance autonomous motivation, which comprises intrinsic motivation and well-internalized extrinsic motivation. SDT has been applied in varied cultures and in many life domains, and research is reviewed that has related autonomous and controlled motivation to education, parenting, work, health care, sport, and close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-determination and persistence in a real-life setting: Toward a motivational model of high school dropout.

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a motivational model of high school dropout. The model posits that teachers, parents, and the school administration's behaviors toward students influence students' perceptions of competence and autonomy. The less autonomy supportive the social agents' behaviors are, the less positive are students' perceptions of competence and autonomy. In turn, the less positive students' perceptions are, the lower their levels of self-determined school motivation are. Finally, low levels of self-determined motivation lead students to develop intentions to drop out of high school, which are later implemented, leading to actual dropout behavior This model was tested with high school students (N?=?4,537) by means of a prospective design. Results from analyses of variance and a structural equation modeling analysis (with LISREL) were found to support the model for all participants and for each gender separately. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 49(3) of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne (see record 2008-10897-013). Figure 1 on page 17 was incorrect. The correct figure is printed in the text.] Self-determination theory (SDT) differentiates motivation, with autonomous and controlled motivations constituting the key, broad distinction. Research has shown that autonomous motivation predicts persistence and adherence and is advantageous for effective performance, especially on complex or heuristic tasks that involve deep information processing or creativity. Autonomous motivation is also reliably related to psychological health. Considerable research has found interpersonal contexts that facilitate satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness to enhance autonomous motivation, which comprises intrinsic motivation and well-internalized extrinsic motivation. SDT has been applied in varied cultures and in many life domains, and research is reviewed that has related autonomous and controlled motivation to education, parenting, work, health care, sport, and close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent styles associated with children's self-regulation and competence in school.

This study assessed three dimensions of parent style, autonomy support, involvement, and provision of structure in 64 mothers and 50 fathers of elementary-school children in Grades 3–6, using a structured interview. Construct validity data for the interview ratings suggested that the three parent dimensions were reliable, relatively independent, and correlated with other parent measures in hypothesized ways. Aspects of children's self-regulation and competence were measured through children's reports, teacher ratings, and objective indices. Parental autonomy support was positively related to children's self-reports of autonomous self-regulation, teacher-rated competence and adjustment, and school grades and achievement. Maternal involvement was related to achievement, teacher-rated competence, and some aspects of behavioral adjustment, but no significant relations were obtained for father involvement. The structure dimension was primarily related to children's control understanding. Results are discussed in terms of the motivational impact of the parent on school competence and adjustment and in terms of transactional models of influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)