- In 2015, 1 in 4 college students took an online class 
- Online courses are sometimes concerning because a lot of the time, students do not finish them
- In previous studies 75-90% noncompletion rates have been reported 
- SDT-satisfaction of autonomy, relatedness and competence encourages self determination which in turn motivates people
- Previous studies have not shown a link between SDT and positive outcomes in online learning 


SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study introduction

- “RQ1: Overall, what are the relationships among various constructs of SDT in online learning environments?
- RQ2: More specifically, can satisfaction of three SDT needs lead to better learning outcomes including perceived knowledge transfer, perceived learning gains, and grades?”


SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study research questions

- ”perceived competence would be a proximal predictor of self-determined motivation, and that autonomy and relatedness would serve as the backdrop to the development of competence”
- the learning climate leads to the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs → the satisfaction of autonomy and relatedness leads to the satisfaction of competence → the satisfaction of competence leads to an increase in self-determined motivation→ an increase in self-determined motivation leads to an increase perceived knowledge transfer and learning gains 

SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study hypotheses 

- 330 undergraduate students from a midwestern university 
- Students recruited from classes that were redesigned to “focus on creating student-centered learning environments”
- Students contacted towards the end of the semester (between the 11th and 13th weeks)
- Online survey was administered to students who were in online courses 
- 7 different online courses were used and spanned various academic disciplines 


SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study method

- Learning climate-”students’ perceptions of how the learning climate supported their autonomy”-measured by 6 questions on a likert scale-the students answered whether the course was autonomy supportive 
- Basic psychological needs-measured autonomy (7 questions), competence (6 questions), and relatedness (8 questions) using a likert scale
- Motivation for learning-18 item scale that analyzed the different types of motivation proposed in SDT (each type of motivation received 3 questions-intrinsic motivation, integration, identification, introjection, external motivation, and amotivation 
- Perceived knowledge transfer-8 questions-a higher score on the scale indicated that students believe the knowledge that they learned in the course will transfer easily to other areas 
- Student assessment of learning gains-collected at the end of the semester in course evaluations-evaluated on a 5 point scale (1 being “I gained nothing at all” to 5 being “I gained a great deal”)
- Students’ course grades-obtained from the registrar

SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study measures

- Used SEM to analyze the data 
- Supported the hypothesized model and concludes that SDT is effective in online environments

SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study results

- “Basic psychological needs mediated the relationship between learning climate and self-determined motivation”
- Findings support the idea that competence strongly influences self-determined motivation
- Surprisingly, the path from relatedness to competence was not significant-this might be due to the fact that relatedness is less important in an online context
- Analysis found a positive link between self-determined motivation on learning outcomes (which satisfies the second research question)


SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments study discussion

This study analyzed the effectiveness and presence of SDT in online learning environments through an SEM analysis

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A theory of human motivation that posits that the reasons why an individual chooses to participate and exerts effort, are based on self-determined regulations (such as intrinsic motivation). It states there are 3 desires that promote optimal function and growth:
- 1) Autonomy
- 2) Competence
- 3) Relatedness

Self-determination theory (SDT)

Hsu, H. C. K., Wang, C. V., & Levesque-Bristol, C. (2019). Reexamining the impact of self-determination theory on learning outcomes in the online learning environment. Education and Information Technologies, 24(3), 2159-2174.

The reasons why a person exerts effort exists a continuum of self-determined behavioral regulations, ranging from the most self-determined reasons to the least (Deci & Ryan 1985, Ryan & Deci, 2000b):
- Most self-determined form of regulation: intrinsic motivation
- Middle: extrinsic motivation
- Least self-determined form of regulation: motivation 

The continuum of Self-determined regulation

-  Need satisfaction supportive game features as motivational determinants: An experimental study of a self-determination theory guided exergame (Peng et al., 2012)

-  Intrinsic versus extrinsic goal contents in self-determination theory: Another look at the quality of academic motivation (Vansteenkiste, Lens &  Deci, 2006)

-  The role of self-determination theory in explaining teachers’ motivation to continue to use e-learning technology (Halvari, Kristiansen & Flaata, 2009)

-   Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom; Applying self-determination theory to educational practice (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009)

- Facilitating Optimal Motivation and Psychological Well-Being Across Life's Domains (Deci & Ryan, 2008)

References related to SDT

This article looks at the application of self-determination theory into the format of online learning. It goes into detail about what the theory is as well as the idea that certain types of motivation, such as intrinsic motivation, may have better outcomes compared to extrinsic or no motivation. To test this idea, the research study in this article looks at how online students may be motivated by their teachers in ways that encourage intrinsic motivation. The results suggest that, when the teachers were able to support the students' autonomy and competency, it positively affected how the students perceived their own autonomy, competency, and relatedness as a result. The students gained a higher amount of self-determination in the end. 

Motivation in Online Learning: Testing a Model of Self-Determination Theory

Peng et al. (2012) recognized that there had not been much prior study done on how game features affect an individuals satisfaction of basic needs and conducted a study to analyze what affect different features would have. 

Intro to exergame features influencing SDT desires (Peng et al. 2012) 

The need an individual has for being able to produce their desired outcome and avoid undesired ones. It also covers the need for being effective/successful in the face of a challenge (Ryan et al., 2006).

Competency in SDT

An individuals sense of control over their decisions, actions and will. An individuals desire for autonomy is appeased more so when there are choices given to the individual or they are able to take part in activities that are of personal interest/value (Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999). 

Autonomy in SDT

Focuses on the need of an individual to be connected to others/be involved in a social environment (Ryan & Deci, 2000a; Ryan et al., 2006).

Relatedness in SDT

SDT on learning outcomes in online learning environments

A variety of factors affect self-regulation, which makes it difficult to determin exactly what combination of traits makes a person successful. Some aspects are 
- high intrinsic motivation
- perceived competence (SDT)
- perceived autonomy (SDT)
- social relatedness, i.e. willingness to ask for support (SDT)
- good Self Regulated Learning Strategies
- low passive procrastination levels

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