Satisfaction of basic psychological needs and eudaimonic well-being among first-year university students

Abstract

University students experience various factors that impact their well-being in higher education learning. Self-determination theory (SDT) shares the underlying philosophy of eudaimonia and well-being. This study examined the relationship between satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in predicting greater well-being among first-year university students in a private university in Selangor, Malaysia. The sample derived from 173 first-year university students studying in Selangor, Malaysia. Participants completed measures of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale. The findings of this study indicated that autonomy, competence, and relatedness significantly predicted students’ well-being. Moreover, the roles of basic psychological needs appeared to be important factors in predicting well-being among university students. Results of this study further highlighted that when students feel autonomous, sense of school connectedness, and sense of scholastic competence, they are able to flourish under a positive learning environment and cultivate eudaimonic well-being.