Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction among Students in Higher Education

When students are internally motivated, they are most likely to maintain interest in learning, to persevere in their learning, and to experience greater academic success. According to selfdetermination theory, internal motivation is most facilitated by the satisfaction of the person’s basic psychological needs: for autonomy, competence and relatedness. The purpose of this study is to identify the specifics of supporting students’ basic psychological needs among doctoral students in various specialties. Data collection involved administration of the Psychological Need Supports scale, which assessed the satisfaction of basic psychological needs in the context of various relationships. Respondents were 463 doctoral students in six areas of education (physics, earth sciences, biology, chemistry, mathematics, information technology). The presence of differences in the degree of satisfaction and features of support of basic psychological needs in different relationships was revealed. In general, autonomy turned out to be the most satisfied need, and the need for relatedness turned out to be the least satisfied. In the system of close relationships (friends and mother), all three basic psychological needs were supported to a greater extent than in all systems of educational relations at the university. Comparison of various systems of relations at the university among themselves showed that the need for relatedness was most supported by colleagues and a supervisor, and the need for competence was supported by colleagues, while the need for competence was least supported by a supervisor, and the need for relatedness was least supported in the context of group classes. Patterns that emerged were stable over time. There were no differences in need satisfaction based on the field of study with one exception: doctoral students majoring in physics reported higher levels of support for the needs for competence and relatedness. The results provide guidance for supporting the internal motivation among students at higher levels of education.

1. Bronte-Tinkew, J., Moore, K. A., & Carrano, J. (2006). The father-child relationship, parenting styles, and adolescent risk behaviors in intact families. Journal of Family Issues, 27(6), 850–881. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X05285296

2. Chirkov, V. I., & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Parent and teacher autonomy-support in Russian and U.S. adolescents: Common effects on well-being and academic motivation. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 32(5), 618–635. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022101032005006

3. D’Ailly, H. (2003). Children’s autonomy and perceived control in learning: A model of motivation and achievement in Taiwan. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.84

4. Daguplo, M. (2015). Needs satisfaction and academic intrinsic motivation of education students. Journal of Educational and Human Resource Development, 13(1), 24–34.

5. Deci, E. L., Schwartz, A. J., Sheinman, L., & Ryan, R. M. (1981). An instrument to assess adults’ orientations toward control versus autonomy with children: Reflections on intrinsic motivation and perceived competence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73(5), 642–650. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.73.5.642

6. Gordeeva, Т. (2010). Self-determination theory: present and future. Part 1: The problems of theory development. Psychological Studies, 3(12). https://doi.org/10.54359/ps.v3i12.906

7. Grolnick, W. S., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with children’s self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(2), 143–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.81.2.143

8. Grolnick, W. S., Kurowski, C. O., Dunlap, K. G., & Hevey, C. (2000). Parental resources and the transition to junior high. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10(4), 465–488. https://doi.org/10.1207/SJRA1004_05

9. Guay, F., Ratelle, C. F., & Chanal, J. (2008). Optimal learning in optimal contexts: The role of self- determination in education. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012758

10. Guay, F., & Vallerand, R. J. (1996). Social context, student’s motivation, and academic achievement: Toward a process model. Social Psychology of Education, 1(3), 211–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02339891

11. Hoeve, M., Dubas, J. S., Eichelsheim, V. I., Van Der Laan, P. H., Smeenk, W., & Gerris, J. R. M. (2009). The relationship between parenting and delinquency: a meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(7), 749–775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9310-8.

12. Janssen, S., Vuuren, M., & De Jong, M. (2021). Sensemaking in supervisor-doctoral student relationships: revealing schemas on the fulfillment of basic psychological needs.Studies in Higher Education, 46(12), 2738–2750. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1804850

13. La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.3.367

14. Li, M., Frieze, I. H., Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Cheong, J. (2013).Do friends always help your studies? Mediating processes between social relations and academic motivation. Social returns and academic motivation. Social Psychology of Education, 16(1), 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-012-9203-5

15. Lynch, M. F., Salikhova, N. R., & Salikhova, A. B. (2018). Internal Motivation among Doctoral Students: Contributions from the Student and from the Student's Environment. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 255–272. https://doi.org/10.28945/4091

16. Murray-Harvey, R., & Slee, P. T. (2007). Supportive and Stressful Relationships With Teachers, Peers and Family and Their Influence on Students' Social/Emotional and Academic Experience of School. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 7(2), 126–147. https://doi.org/10.1375/ajgc.17.2.126

17. Niemiec, C. P., Lynch, M. F., Vansteenkiste, M., Bernstein, J., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2006). The antecedents and consequences of autonomous self-regulation for college: A self-determination theory perspective on socialization. Journal of Adolescence, 29(5), 761–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.11.009

18. Poom-Valickis, K., Rumma, K., Francesconi, D., & Joosu, K. (2019). Relations Between Student Teachers Basic Needs Fulfillment, Study Motivation, And Ability Beliefs. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences, 31, 779–789. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2017.10.74

19. Pretty, G. H., Chipuer, H. M., & Bramston, P. (2003). Sense of place amongst adolescents and adults in two rural Australian towns: The discriminating features of place attachment, sense of community and place dependence in relation to place identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(3), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00079-8

20. Pulyaeva,V. N., & Nevryuev, A. N. (2020). The relationship of basic psychological needs, academic motiva-tion and alienation from study of students in higher education. Psychological Science and Education, 25(2), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2020250202

21. Ratelle, C. F., Guay, F., Larose, S., & Senecal, C. (2004). Family correlates of trajectories of academic motivation during a school transition: Asemiparametric group-based approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(4), 743–754. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.4.743

22. Reeve, J. (2006). Teachers as facilitators: What autonomy-supportive teachers do and why their students benefit. Elementary School Journal, 106, 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1086/501484

23. Ryan, R. M. (2023). The Oxford Handbook of Self-Determination Theory. Oxford University Press.

24. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806

25. Salikhova, N. R., Lynch, M. F., & Salikhova, A. B. (2019). The associations between tolerance for ambiguity and internal and external motivation in the scholarly activities of doctoral students. Education and Self Development, 14(4), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd14.4.04

26. Salikhova, N. R., Lynch, M. F., & Salikhova, A. B. (2021). Two Generations of Mother-Child Relationships: A Self-determination Theory Analysis of the Social Situation of Development. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 14(4), 149–168. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2021.0

27. Sethi, J., & Scales, P. C. (2020). Developmental relationships and school success: How teachers, parents, and friends affect educational outcomes and what actions students say matter most. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101904

28. Sheldon, K. M., & Krieger, L. S. (2007). Understanding the negative effects of legal education on law students: A longitudinal test of self-determination theory. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 883–897. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167207301014

29. Vallerand, R. J., Fortier, M. S., & Guay, F. (1997). Self-determination and persistence in a real-life setting: Toward a motivational model of high school dropout. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(5), 1161–1176. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.5.1161

30. Verhoeven, M., Bögels, S. M., & van der Bruggen, C. C. (2012). Unique roles of mothering and fathering in child anxiety; moderation by child’s age and gender. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(2), 331–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9483-y.

31. Vrolijk, P., Van Lissa, C. J., Branje, S. J. T. Meeus, W. H. J., & Keizer, R. (2020). Longitudinal Linkages Between Father and Mother Autonomy Support and Adolescent Problem Behaviors: Between- Family Differences and Within-Family Effects. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 49(11), 2372–2387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01309-8

32. Williams, G. C., & Deci, E. L. (1996). Internalization of biopsychosocial values by medical students: A test of self-determination theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(4), 767–779. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.70.4.767