Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement Through Teacher Autonomy Support: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Abstract

In this study, we qualitatively explore how teachers perceive the usefulness of
teacher autonomy support in fostering student motivation and engagement. Seven
science and mathematics teachers from Singapore secondary schools were
gathered for semi-structured interviews after implementing teacher autonomy
support in their respective classrooms. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the
interview data using the concepts pre-conceived from literature. The findings
herein suggest that teachers perceived the usefulness of teacher autonomy support
on student psychological needs satisfaction, and ultimately motivation and
engagement (behavioural, emotional, cognitive). The findings have two
implications: (1) teachers internalise the value of autonomy support in student
motivation and engagement and (2) teachers perceive each autonomy-supportive
strategy in a distinct manner, in terms of its contribution to dimensions of student
engagement. It is then recommended for future teacher autonomy support
workshop not only to teach the strategies, but also to highlight each strategy’s
usefulness in different student and classroom situations.