Students’ academic competence beliefs as an antecedent of perceived teachers’ autonomy support and motivation: a longitudinal model

Students with strong academic competence beliefs have the necessary skill set to succeed academically. These factors lead these students to manage learning challenges better, experience more positive emotions in learning, and have more positive academic, psychological, and emotional outcomes. Drawing on self-determination theory, the current study suggests that these positive academic competence beliefs result in a more favorable perception of teachers' behavior as supportive, which then predicts students' motivation. To investigate the research hypotheses, a total sample of 385 seventh-grade students participated in this study (mean age = 12.2, SD =.39, 52.4% male). Students completed questionnaires regarding their academic competence beliefs, perceived teacher autonomy support, and autonomous and controlled motivation to study at the beginning and end of the school year. A multilevel mediation analysis revealed that students with higher initial academic competence beliefs perceived their teachers as more autonomy-supportive, at the end of the school year. This, in turn, was associated with a higher level of autonomous motivation. The findings highlight the active role of students in shaping their own experiences in class and with teachers and their motivation to study. This constitutes a shift in the traditional focus, which somewhat alleviates the substantial responsibility traditionally placed on teachers' shoulders.