Background and Purpose: Educational psychology theorists argue that Self-Determination Theory (SDT), by addressing three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—can have beneficial effects on students’ academic and psychological functioning. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of self-determination–based training on academic engagement, psychological well-being, and school belonging among sixth-grade female student.
Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all sixth-grade female elementary students in Shahedshahr (one of the cities of Tehran in Iran) during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 40 students were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (20 students in each group). The experimental group received a self-determination–based training program in ten 75-minute sessions, while the control group remained on a waiting list and received no intervention during the study period. Data collection tools included the Academic Engagement Questionnaire (AEQ; Reeve, 2013), Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWS; Ryff, 2014), and School Belonging Questionnaire (SBQ; Brew and Beatty,2004), Data analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA and MANCOVA) in SPSS - 27.
Results: Self-determination training had a statistically significant effect on all components of academic engagement, including behavioral engagement (F = 12.362), agentic engagement (F = 104.407), cognitive engagement (F = 7.431), and emotional engagement (F = 10.064). It also showed a significant effect on psychological well-being, encompassing the components of self-acceptance (F = 7.974), positive relations with others (F = 8.673), autonomy (F = 10.178), purpose in life (F = 21.449), and personal growth (F = 4.621). In addition, self-determination training had a significant effect on school belonging, specifically on perceived respect (F = 12.976), school connectedness (F = 16.604), peer acceptance (F = 25.161), and academic participation (p < .05).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that SDT, by strengthening students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, enhances intrinsic motivation and active engagement. These mechanisms ultimately contribute to improved academic engagement, psychological well-being, and school belonging. Therefore, implementing self-determination–based interventions in educational settings is recommended to promote students’ academic and psychological outcomes. |
