No abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of specificity of the different regulation types described by Self-Determination Theory, and to evaluate its impact on the links with its antecedents and consequences, in an academic context. In line with the school-subject-specificity hypothesis, we postulated that autonomous motivation types (AM types) would be more specific to the situational level than controlled motivation types (CM types). Moreover, we hypothesized that AM types would be, at this level, more strongly associated with its antecedents and consequences than CM types. Three hundred fourteen university students were asked to complete online questionnaires assessing their motivation, motivational antecedents (i.e., autonomy-supportive climate and self-concept) and consequences (i.e., emotions and grades) in various courses. As expected, results from structural equation modeling confirmed that AM types were more specific to the situational level than CM types. Moreover, a higher number of significant correlations were found between motivation and its antecedents and consequences in the corresponding course for AM than for CM types. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The aim of the present study was to examine the implication of the differences in autonomous and controlled motivation specificity in their relationships with student's grades. The school-subject-specificity hypothesis postulates that the more autonomous the regulation is, the more specific to a school subject it is. 579 junior high school children were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their motivation at the academic level as well as at the situational level (i.e., French, mathematics, English, and physical education), both simultaneously. As expected, results from structural equation modeling revealed that autonomous motivation was more specific to the situational level than controlled motivation. Moreover, results showed that the more specific the regulations are, the more relationships with students' grades can be found. Therefore, this study offers a new understanding of previous results between autonomous and controlled regulations with grades and of the relationships between academic self-concepts, academic achievement and motivation.

et le bien-être de l'individu (Deci & Ryan, 2000). À l'inverse, lorsque l'environnement social entrave la satisfaction de ses besoins psychologiques, le comportement et la motivation de l'individu sont altérés.