Distance learning in higher education during COVID-19: The role of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation for persistence and procrastination–a multi-country study
Journal
PLOS ONE
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Pelikan, R. Elisabeth
Korlat, Selma
Reiter, Julia
Holzer, Julia
Mayerhofe, Martin
Schober, Barbara
Spiel, Christiane
HamzallariI, Oriola
Uka, Ana
Chen, Jiarui
Valimaki, Maritta
Puharić, Zrinka
Anusionwu, Kelechi Evans
Nkem Okocha, Angela
Zabrodskaja, Anastassia
Salmela-Aro, Katariina
Kaser, Udo
Schultze-Krumbholz, Anja
WachsID, Sebastian
Friðriksson, Finnur
Gunnþorsdottir, Hermına
Holler, Yvonne
Aoyama, Ikuko
Ieshima, Akihiko
Toda, Yuichi
Konjufca, Jon
Llullaku, Njomza
Gedutienė, Reda
Borg Axisa, Glorianne
Lewandowska-Walter, Aleksandra
Michałek-Kwiecień, Justyna
Plichta, Piotr
PyżalskiI, Jacek
Walter, Natalia
Cautisanu, Cristina
Voda, Ana Iolanda
Gao, Shang
Islam, Sirajul
Wistrand, Kai
F. Wright, Michelle
Luftenegger, Marko
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0257346
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher educational institutions worldwide switched to emergency distance learning in early 2020. The less structured environment of distance learning forced students to regulate their learning and motivation more independently. According to self-determination theory (SDT), satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and social relatedness affects intrinsic motivation, which in turn relates to more active or passive learning behavior. As the social context plays a major role for basic need satisfaction, distance learning may impair basic need satisfaction and thus intrinsic motivation and learning behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between basic need satisfaction and procrastination and persistence in the context of emergency distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-sectional study. We also investigated the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in this relationship. Furthermore, to test the universal importance of SDT for intrinsic motivation and learning behavior under these circumstances in different countries, we collected data in Europe, Asia and North America. A total of N = 15,462 participants from Albania, Austria, China, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden, and the US answered questions regarding perceived competence, autonomy, social relatedness, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, persistence, and sociodemographic background. Our results support SDT’s claim of universality regarding the relation between basic psychological need fulfilment, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, and persistence. However, whereas perceived competence had the highest direct effect on procrastination and persistence, social relatedness was mainly influential via intrinsic motivation.
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