TY - JOUR
T1 - Autonomy and Competence in German and American University Students
T2 - A Comparative Study Based on Self-Determination Theory
AU - Levesque, Chantal
AU - Stanek, Layla R.
AU - Zuehlke, A. Nicola
AU - Ryan, Richard M.
PY - 2004/3
Y1 - 2004/3
N2 - According to self-determination theory (R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci, 2000), supports for autonomy and competence are essential for growth and well-being in any learning environment. Educational contexts differ in their relative support for these 2 needs. The authors examined the role of autonomy and competence in 2 German and 2 American university settings, as they were predicted to differ in terms of their relative emphasis on competence versus autonomy. Invariance analyses supported the construct comparability of the measures and demonstrated that German students felt significantly more autonomous and less competent than American students. Perceived pressures and positive informational feedback were modeled as antecedents of autonomy and competence, and well-being was examined as a consequence. The hypothesized model was generally supported across the 4 samples.
AB - According to self-determination theory (R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci, 2000), supports for autonomy and competence are essential for growth and well-being in any learning environment. Educational contexts differ in their relative support for these 2 needs. The authors examined the role of autonomy and competence in 2 German and 2 American university settings, as they were predicted to differ in terms of their relative emphasis on competence versus autonomy. Invariance analyses supported the construct comparability of the measures and demonstrated that German students felt significantly more autonomous and less competent than American students. Perceived pressures and positive informational feedback were modeled as antecedents of autonomy and competence, and well-being was examined as a consequence. The hypothesized model was generally supported across the 4 samples.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1642414866&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.68
DO - 10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.68
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:1642414866
SN - 0022-0663
VL - 96
SP - 68
EP - 84
JO - Journal of Educational Psychology
JF - Journal of Educational Psychology
IS - 1
ER -