Why do children want to learn? The role of teaching styles

Abstract

Context and relevance. Teacher is a key factor in the educational process, and students’ motivation largely depends on these relationships with the teacher and teachers’ interaction style. Objective. The aim of the study was to study the associations between four characteristic teacher interaction styles and students’ intrinsic motivation and academic achievement. In line with Self-determination theory and previous research, it was hypothesized that autonomy-supporting and structuring styles would be directly related to students’ academic achievement in this subject, with intrinsic motivation being a mediator of this relationship. Conversely, it was assumed that controlling and chaotic styles would be inversely related to intrinsic motivation and academic achievement. Methods and materials. A correlational study was conducted using a sample of Russian eighth-grade students (N = 1732, MA = 13,89 years, SD = 0,41) to examine the contribution of Math teachers’ interaction styles to students’ intrinsic motivation, persistence, and academic achievement. Students described their teacher using the Situations in School Questionnaire, which assesses autonomy support, structure, control, and chaos as four main teaching styles. Intrinsic motivation for learning mathematics, as well as mathematics performance (Algebra and Geometry) and time spent on homework, were also measured. Results. Structural equation modeling showed that teacher motivating interaction styles — autonomy support and structure — were directly related to students’ academic achievement, with intrinsic motivation acting as a mediator of this relationship. Chaos and control were inversely related to intrinsic motivation, while chaos was also inversely related to academic achievement. Conclusions. In accordance with the hypotheses, teachers (de)motivating interaction styles were identified that promote and hinder students’ intrinsic motivation, persistence, and performance, suggesting the necessity to train teachers to use motivating strategies.