Enhancing adolescents' self-determined motivation and self-concept in math. An intervention study

A negative trend, especially for students in lower achievement levels, is for academic self-determined motivation to significantly decline across childhood through adolescence, and more so in math than in any other school subject. To counteract this negative development, an intervention study based on the Self-Determination Theory was developed and implemented in seventh-grade math classes with basic demands in Switzerland. The study applied a quasi-experimental design using two treatment groups (combined student/teacher group: teachers and students participate in intervention; students-only treatment group: only students participate in intervention) and a control group. The sample for this study included 348 7th grade students (student/teacher group: 134 students; students-only group: 122 students; control group: 92 students). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of both treatment forms on students’ motivation and self- concept. The intervention was evaluated longitudinally (pre- and post-test) through a student questionnaire. Paired sample t-tests and Cohen’s d showed that the most positive effects were found for students in the combined group with a significant increase in intrinsic motivation and self-concept. Multivariate analysis of covariance with repeated measures revealed a significant intervention interaction effect for intrinsic and identified motivation as well as self-concept, indicating significant differences between the groups in favour of students in the combined group. The results of the present study highlight that the decline of autonomous motivation across adolescence is strongly influenced by teachers who shape the learning environment and by the students who develop learning competencies and reflect on their attitudes towards learning.