Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction
IntroductionHigher education is a milestone in students’ lives; however, it often comes with various challenges. In this context, Basic Psychological Needs Theory emerges as a framework to understand a series of significant factors that influence students’ academic experiences, such as motivation an...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1519454/full |
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| author | Mauricio González-Arias Paula Dibona Benjamín Soto-Flores Andrés Rojas-Puelles Massimo Amato Diego Álvarez-Trigo Rodrigo Castillo |
| author_facet | Mauricio González-Arias Paula Dibona Benjamín Soto-Flores Andrés Rojas-Puelles Massimo Amato Diego Álvarez-Trigo Rodrigo Castillo |
| author_sort | Mauricio González-Arias |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionHigher education is a milestone in students’ lives; however, it often comes with various challenges. In this context, Basic Psychological Needs Theory emerges as a framework to understand a series of significant factors that influence students’ academic experiences, such as motivation and affect. Although there are studies that assess the association between basic psychological needs (BPN), motivation, affect and academic performance separately, there is a lack of research integrating all these variables in a higher education context. The first objective of the study was to evaluate the differences in BPN satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and academic performance between the courses perceived as the most motivating and those perceived as the least motivating. The second objective of the study was to examine the relationship between the studied variables.MethodsThis non-experimental cross-sectional study included a sample of 148 higher education students from Chile. Paired sample t-tests were performed to compare the levels of the study variables between the courses, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM).ResultsFindings for the t-tests reveal that courses considered the most motivating showed higher positive affect, lower negative affect, higher BPN satisfaction, and better academic performance. Results obtained through the SEM show that BPN satisfaction has an indirect effect on academic performance, mediated by affect and self-reported motivation. In addition, a direct effect from negative affect to academic performance was found.DiscussionThese results contribute to a better understanding of how BPN satisfaction influences the academic performance of university students, and reinforce the usefulness of Self-determination Theory (SDT) in explaining motivational and affective phenomena in higher education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3a7fc57c395f4ecbb7cf182b33a4616e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-3a7fc57c395f4ecbb7cf182b33a4616e2025-08-20T03:11:37ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-02-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15194541519454Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfactionMauricio González-Arias0Paula Dibona1Benjamín Soto-Flores2Andrés Rojas-Puelles3Massimo Amato4Diego Álvarez-Trigo5Rodrigo Castillo6Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Psicología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Psicología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Artes y Letras, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Artes y Letras, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Psicología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileDepartamento de Educación, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, ChileIntroductionHigher education is a milestone in students’ lives; however, it often comes with various challenges. In this context, Basic Psychological Needs Theory emerges as a framework to understand a series of significant factors that influence students’ academic experiences, such as motivation and affect. Although there are studies that assess the association between basic psychological needs (BPN), motivation, affect and academic performance separately, there is a lack of research integrating all these variables in a higher education context. The first objective of the study was to evaluate the differences in BPN satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and academic performance between the courses perceived as the most motivating and those perceived as the least motivating. The second objective of the study was to examine the relationship between the studied variables.MethodsThis non-experimental cross-sectional study included a sample of 148 higher education students from Chile. Paired sample t-tests were performed to compare the levels of the study variables between the courses, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM).ResultsFindings for the t-tests reveal that courses considered the most motivating showed higher positive affect, lower negative affect, higher BPN satisfaction, and better academic performance. Results obtained through the SEM show that BPN satisfaction has an indirect effect on academic performance, mediated by affect and self-reported motivation. In addition, a direct effect from negative affect to academic performance was found.DiscussionThese results contribute to a better understanding of how BPN satisfaction influences the academic performance of university students, and reinforce the usefulness of Self-determination Theory (SDT) in explaining motivational and affective phenomena in higher education.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1519454/fullself-determination theorybasic psychological needsaffecthigher educationstudentsmotivation |
| spellingShingle | Mauricio González-Arias Paula Dibona Benjamín Soto-Flores Andrés Rojas-Puelles Massimo Amato Diego Álvarez-Trigo Rodrigo Castillo Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction Frontiers in Psychology self-determination theory basic psychological needs affect higher education students motivation |
| title | Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| title_full | Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| title_fullStr | Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| title_short | Academic performance, self-reported motivation, and affect in higher education: the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| title_sort | academic performance self reported motivation and affect in higher education the role of basic psychological need satisfaction |
| topic | self-determination theory basic psychological needs affect higher education students motivation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1519454/full |
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