Passion or Perseverance? The Effect of Perceived Autonomy Support and Grit on Academic Performance in College Students

Abstract

Background: Individuals who possess passion and perseverance to extensively work and study through challenges and adversity to achieve a set of goals are likely to reach higher achievement compared to others who lack similar facets. However, an under-researched question lingers over the effect of teacher-induced behaviors on academic outcomes such as grades and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between teacher-induced autonomy support and student academic performance considering the mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and grit as two-independent factors. Methods: A convenience sample of 474 Sports Science students (Mage = 21.83 years; SD = 3.91) participated in the study. All participants completed a multi-section survey assessing the variables under analysis. Results: The measurement and structural model displayed acceptable fit, hence direct and indirect effects were examined among the variables of interest. Basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation seem to display a mediating role between perceived autonomy support and academic performance, through perseverance. Contrarily, grit-passion did not exhibit a significant indirect effect. Conclusions: Current results shed new insights on how perseverance can shape student motivation and school success considering the autonomy support induced by teachers.

The Relationship between Teachers and Peers’ Motivational Climates, Needs Satisfaction, and Physical Education Grades: An AGT and SDT Approach

“…In agreement with the SDT perspective [ 1 ], needs satisfaction positively predicted PE grades, supporting findings from previous research [ 2 , 4 , 19 ]. Since the satisfaction of needs is related to positive outcomes, such as self-determined motivation [ 1 , 15 , 16 ], intentions towards physical activity [ 2 ], and enjoyment [ 3 ], it would be excepted that higher levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness would impact higher academic success. Hence, those students who exercise volitional choice (e.g., choosing exercise combinations), who improve skills (e.g., learning how to dribble faster), and those who connect with peers (e.g., creating friendships during class) are able to engage and involve themselves more in PE classes, being positively associated with their academic grades, as seen in the present study.…”

“…SDT describes the requirement of basic psychological needs (BPN) as determinants for optimal functioning [ 14 ]. Thus, students’ feeling of autonomy (i.e., feelings of volitional choice), competence (i.e., learning new skills and increasing capacities), and relatedness (i.e., connecting with others and creating social bounds) are results of motivational [ 2 , 15 , 16 ], emotional [ 11 ], and behavioral [ 4 ] outcomes. Hence, needs satisfaction is thought to be essential to nourish adaptive outcomes in PE involvement.…”

Uncovering the Moderating Role of Grit and Gender in the Association between Teacher Autonomy Support and Social Competence among Chinese Undergraduate Students

“…Thus, documenting the role of grit in the association between teacher autonomy support and the social competence of undergraduate students is particularly valuable, as this finding may provide some possible insights into designing intervention or prevention studies. According to the extant literature, grit is positively linked to success within a broad range of academic settings [ 30 , 31 ], which has also been extended to college students [ 32 ]. Despite such research progress, little attention has been paid to the possible linkage between grit and outcomes beyond academic settings.…”

Math Performance and Sex: The Predictive Capacity of Self-Efficacy, Interest and Motivation for Learning Mathematics

“…This is despite there being items in which each sex scored higher than the other. In education, beliefs of self-efficacy affect motivation, persistence, and school success ( Zalazar et al, 2011 ; Rosário et al, 2012 ; Huéscar-Hernández et al, 2020 ), and there are also social factors ( Ruiz, 2005 ).…”