Students’ motivation and continued intention with online self-regulated learning: A self-determination theory perspective

Abstract

Continued self-regulation is recognized as a critical factor for students’ successful learning in an online learning environment. In the context of college students’ online self-regulated learning (SRL), a research approach based on self-determination theory (SDT) is developed to explain the relations of students’ basic psychological needs to their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as their continued intention to engage in online SRL. The results show that the three basic needs are associated with intrinsic motivation, while only two needs, namely perceived relatedness and competence, are related to extrinsic motivation. In addition, continued intention to engage in online SRL is related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Our study provides empirical evidence for the appropriateness of the application of SDT in online SRL.