Parenting, Major Choice Motivation, and Academic Major Satisfaction Among Filipino College Students: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Abstract

Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the relationships among parenting (autonomy-supportive and controlling), major choice motivations (autonomous and controlled), and academic major satisfaction with a sample of 525 Filipino college students. Consistent with the hypotheses, the results of structural equation modeling indicated that perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting were positively associated with autonomous and controlled major choice motivations, respectively. In addition, autonomous and controlled major choice motivations differentially predicted academic major satisfaction. Findings also revealed that while autonomous major choice motivation mediated the relation between autonomy-supportive parenting and academic major satisfaction, controlled major choice motivation mediated the association between controlling parenting and academic major satisfaction. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Effect of Personal and Contextual Factors of Regulation on Academic Achievement during Adolescence: The Role of Gender and Age

“…Nerona (2020) [97] showed in a recent study, those parents that have more education years take shared decisions concerning their kids' education; maternal support is notably associated with the motivation to fulfill adolescents' academic goals. Previous evidence indicated the existence of an association between the mothers' education level and academic achievement.…”

How Psychological Capital Impacts Career Growth of University Students? The Role of Academic Major Choice

“…Fourth, while many studies from collectivistic societies have examined the utility of SDT’s tenets and central variables (e.g., autonomy support, self-determined motivation, well-being; Belle et al, 2022; Chang et al, 2016), research from these contexts applying SDT to career choice and career development remains relatively scarce (Lin et al, 2015; Nerona, 2021). Thus, testing the mediating role of self-concordant major choice helps enrich the contextual applicability of SDT.…”

“…Second, by using a Chinese sample, we further enrich the applicability of SDT and the concept of self-concordance in the collectivist culture. SDT is fertile for explicating the formation and influence of self-determination, even for those from non-Western cultures (Nerona, 2021). SDT-based studies from China have shown that psychological need satisfaction is essential for self-concordant motivation, which promotes optimal human development and well-being (Belle et al, 2022; Chang et al, 2016; Xu et al, 2021), supporting the application of SDT and self-concordance to collectivist contexts.…”

“…SDT-based studies from China have shown that psychological need satisfaction is essential for self-concordant motivation, which promotes optimal human development and well-being (Belle et al, 2022; Chang et al, 2016; Xu et al, 2021), supporting the application of SDT and self-concordance to collectivist contexts. However, research from these contexts applying SDT to students’ career choice and career development remains scarce (Nerona, 2021). Our study provides further evidence in this regard.…”

Do college entrance examination admission characteristics influence students’ college satisfaction? Evidence from China

“…Based on SDT, students’ perceptions of voluntary autonomy, competence, and relatedness in academic majors fully mediate the relations between perceived faculty and peer support and major satisfaction ( Schenkenfelder et al, 2020 , 265–273). In addition, autonomous major choice motivation mediates the relation between autonomy-supportive parenting and academic major satisfaction, and controlled major choice motivation mediates the association between controlling parenting and academic major satisfaction ( Nerona, 2021 , 205–220).…”