Choice, Competence, and Connection: Self-Determination Theory

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Choice, Competence, and Connection: Self-Determination Theory

Educational Psychology · Chapter 6: Motivation, Goals, and the Drive to LearnSection 6.9 · lesson 56 of 1009 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

Three universal needs, and the continuum from compliance to identification.

  • Name the three basic psychological needs in SDT
  • Explain why the needs are not hierarchical
  • Place a student's reason for engaging on the regulation continuum
  • Use autonomy-supportive language to promote internalization

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (1,087 words). Read along, or search it.

Motivation, Goals, and the Drive to Learn

Choice, Competence, and Connection: Self-Determination Theory

This is the theory that ties the whole chapter together. Self-Determination Theory, from Deci and Ryan. It proposes three psychological needs that are universal. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We will define each one, including a common misreading of autonomy. Then the motivation continuum, which has five positions rather than two. We will look at internalization, and what moves a student along it. And at the claim that makes this theory practically useful. That value can be taught, even for content nobody finds fascinating. Which describes most of a curriculum, honestly.

The Foundation

Three Universal Psychological Needs

Self-Determination Theory was developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. Over several decades of research. It is currently among the most comprehensive theories of motivation. And among the most empirically supported. It begins from a premise about human beings. Humans are inherently active organisms. With natural tendencies toward growth, integration and self-determination. That premise matters, because it reverses the usual question. The question is not how to motivate a passive person. It is what conditions allow an already-active person to engage. And the theory names three basic psychological needs as universal. Their satisfaction promotes well-being and intrinsic motivation. Regardless of culture, of age, or of context.

The Three

Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness

The three needs are autonomy, competence and relatedness. Autonomy is the need to feel that behavior is self-initiated. Self-initiated and volitional. That you are the author of your actions. Competence is the need to feel effective. Effective in your interactions with the environment. To experience mastery, and to grow in capability. Relatedness is the need to feel meaningfully connected to others. To care for others, and to be cared for. One common misreading is worth heading off immediately. Autonomy does not mean independence. It does not mean freedom from all constraints. It means acting with psychological freedom, and identifying with what you do.

Key Idea

Not a Pyramid

Here is a structural point that distinguishes this from Maslow. SDT's three needs are not hierarchical. There is no pyramid, and no order of operations. All three are equally fundamental. And they must be addressed simultaneously. Consider what that rules out. A classroom can be warm and connected, satisfying relatedness. And still be controlling, which starves autonomy. That classroom will still undermine intrinsic motivation. It is a common failure, and a well-intentioned one. A caring teacher who leaves students no genuine choice has met one need and blocked another.

When They Are Frustrated

The Path to Amotivation

What happens when these needs are chronically frustrated? Motivation deteriorates. Well-being suffers. And at the extreme, amotivation may develop. Amotivation is the complete absence of motivation. No intention to act at all. It is a distinct state, and this is worth being precise about. It is not simply a very low level of extrinsic motivation. Which matters diagnostically. An amotivated student is not weighing a reward and finding it too small. Offering a bigger reward will not reach them. They have stopped expecting their actions to matter at all. That belief is what has to be addressed first.

The Continuum

Motivation Is Not Two Categories

SDT does not treat motivation as simply intrinsic or extrinsic. It recognizes a spectrum of regulatory styles. Running from fully external to fully internal. External regulation is the first position. Behavior is controlled entirely by external consequences. Rewards, and punishments. Introjected regulation is the next step along. Rules are somewhat internalized. The student complies to avoid shame, or to gain approval. But they do not identify with the value of the activity. Introjection feels internal, and it is not. The pressure now comes from inside the student. It is still pressure, and it still costs well-being.

Further Along

Identified and Integrated Regulation

Two further positions on the continuum are more autonomous. Identified regulation is when the student personally values the activity. Values its importance, even if it is not inherently enjoyable. I study chemistry because I want to become a doctor. That is an extrinsic reason, and it is genuinely the student's own. Integrated regulation goes one step further. It is the most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation. The activity is fully assimilated into one's sense of self and values. Now consider which of these a teacher can realistically aim at. Most school content is not intrinsically interesting to most students. So identified regulation is the realistic target. And it produces genuine, durable engagement.

Five Regulations

Reason and Effect Compared

Five positions, and each has a characteristic reason for engaging. Amotivation. No locus of control at all. No intention to act, and often hopelessness. External regulation. Fully external locus. The reason is to get a reward, or to avoid punishment. Introjected regulation. Somewhat internal. The reason is to avoid shame, or to gain approval. Identified regulation. Largely internal. The reason is that the activity's importance is personally valued. Integrated regulation. Internal. The reason is that the activity fits one's sense of self. Read that as a ladder rather than a sorting of students. Internalization is a process, and the environment sets the direction.

Internalization

What Moves a Student Up the Continuum

So what moves a student up that continuum? Internalization is promoted by environments that satisfy the three needs. Autonomy-supportive contexts in particular. Three features define such a context. Reasons for activities are provided. Student perspectives are acknowledged. And pressure is minimized. The language a teacher uses matters more than seems reasonable. Controlling language undermines internalization. You have to. You must. Autonomy-supportive language facilitates it. You might find it interesting because. Here's why this matters.

The Optimistic Claim

Value Can Be Taught

Here is the claim that makes this theory useful in practice. Even when activities are not intrinsically interesting, students can be helped to identify with their value. And that process has enduring motivational benefits. This is the practically important half of the theory. Most of a curriculum will never be inherently fascinating. Not to most students, and no lesson design fully changes that. Pretending otherwise sets teachers an impossible task. What can change is whether a student sees the point of it. And seeing the point is teachable. In a way that finding something fascinating simply is not. That is a lower bar, and a far more reachable one.

In Practice

A Required Statistics Course

Here are all three needs addressed in one course. A university instructor teaches a required statistics course. Required, which means motivation starts low and external. She faces chronic disengagement, and she addresses each need. For autonomy, students choose their own datasets for every assignment. The content is fixed. The material they work on is theirs. For competence, she redesigns the assessments. Early tasks are scaffolded to guarantee early success. For relatedness, she learns every student's name. And holds brief one-on-one check-ins. By the end of the semester, evaluation scores improve substantially. And several students voluntarily take statistics electives afterward. On a course they were required to take.

About Educational Psychology at UPI Study

Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) is a self-paced online course of 100 video lessons in 11 chapters, from memory, conditioning and child development to motivation, individual differences, assessment, instruction and educational technology. It carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits.

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Why students take Educational Psychology with UPI Study

How people learn, and how to teach themEducational Psychology explains how students learn, develop and stay motivated, and how teachers assess and support them. It is a standard course in education and teaching degrees and a common psychology elective.
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130,000+students helped with college creditsACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

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Universities that work with NCCRS

Educational Psychology carries a NCCRS credit recommendation. These universities work with NCCRS; some are UPI Study's signed partners. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

Thomas Edison State UniversityThomas Edison State UniversitySigned partnerUniversity of the PeopleUniversity of the PeopleSigned partnerCharter Oak State CollegeCharter Oak State CollegeSigned partnerStrayer UniversityStrayer UniversitySigned partnerColumbia Southern UniversityColumbia Southern UniversitySigned partnerIndiana TechIndiana TechSigned partnerPenn StatePenn StateWorks with NCCRSSouthern New Hampshire UniversitySouthern New Hampshire UniversityWorks with NCCRSSUNYSUNYWorks with NCCRS +many more cooperating universitiesFind my college →

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About Choice, Competence, and Connection: Self-Determination Theory

What are the three basic psychological needs in self-determination theory?
Self-determination theory, developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, names autonomy, competence and relatedness as universal psychological needs. Autonomy is feeling that your actions are self-initiated and your own; competence is feeling effective and growing in capability; and relatedness is feeling meaningfully connected to others. Satisfying these needs supports well-being and intrinsic motivation across cultures, ages and contexts.
How is self-determination theory different from Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
Unlike Maslow's pyramid, self-determination theory does not rank its needs. Autonomy, competence and relatedness are treated as equally fundamental and must be met at the same time. So a warm, caring classroom that satisfies relatedness can still undermine intrinsic motivation if it is controlling and gives students no genuine choice, because autonomy is being blocked.
What is the continuum of motivation in self-determination theory?
Self-determination theory places motivation on a continuum rather than in two boxes. Amotivation is no intention to act; external regulation is acting for rewards or to avoid punishment; introjected regulation is acting to avoid shame or gain approval; identified regulation is acting because you value the activity's importance; and integrated regulation means the activity fits your sense of self. Intrinsic motivation, doing something for its own sake, lies at the fully internal end.
Does autonomy mean letting students do whatever they want?
No. In self-determination theory, autonomy means acting with psychological freedom and identifying with what you do, not independence or freedom from all constraints. Teachers support it by giving reasons for activities, acknowledging student perspectives and minimizing pressure. Language like "Here's why this matters" promotes internalization, while "You have to" or "You must" tends to undermine it.

About the Educational Psychology course

How many college credits is Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
How much does Educational Psychology cost and what is included?
$250, paid once, with lifetime access: all 100 video lessons, a practice quiz after each, the graded work and final exam, and an official transcript when you finish. Students who want several courses choose UPI Study PRO instead.
Which universities accept UPI Study credits?
UPI Study has signed partner agreements with universities such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Charter Oak State College, and works with universities such as Penn State, SNHU and SUNY. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Use "Find my college" on this page to check yours.
How long does Educational Psychology take?
It is self-paced with no deadlines. The 100 lessons total about 15 hours of video; most students add reading and practice time and finish in a few weeks to a few months, on their own schedule.
How are the exams done?
Quizzes and assignments are online in the course. The final exam is taken online with proctoring; a person on the UPI Study team checks assignments, usually within two days.
How do my credits reach my college?
When the course shows 100% complete, request the official transcript from your dashboard. It is sent to the college you name, and you can send it to more than one. Check your college first with "Find my college" on this page, or ask Athena.

Ready for the full course? Earn 3 credits in Educational Psychology.

100 video lessons, a quiz after each one, and the graded work that earns the credit. Recommended for credit by NCCRS.

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