Abstract
Research has suggested that students’ motivation plays a critical role in achieving educational success. However, some students struggle to maintain their motivation for various reasons. Motivational research has revealed the effects of teachers’ autonomy support on students’ learning. This study examined the effect of perceived teachers’ autonomy support on academic motivation among university students with and without mild difficulties in learning. The participants were 201 Japanese undergraduate students, all of whom were freshmen. The hypothetical model posited that perceived teachers’ autonomy support is positively associated with students’ intrinsic motivation and metacognition, which, in turn, is positively associated with their self-evaluated achievement. Based on self-rated scores of difficulties in academic learning, two groups were created: students with and without mild difficulties. A multi-group structural equation modeling analysis revealed that perceived teachers’ autonomy support had a larger effect on intrinsic motivation in students with mild difficulties. The effect of autonomy support on metacognition did not differ between the two groups. Intrinsic motivation was associated with self-evaluated achievement in students without difficulties, whereas metacognition was associated with self-evaluated achievement in students with mild difficulties. The findings demonstrated teachers’ role in supporting struggling learners in higher education. Teachers’ autonomy support can promote intrinsic motivation and metacognition in students with mild difficulties in learning.
Author Information
Ryo Okada, Kagawa University, Japan
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