Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An evaluation of the integrative model for learning and motivation in the college classroom

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Grounded in self-determination theory, the integrative model for learning and motivation examines how student motivational processes link to course outcomes, including perceived knowledge transferability. This investigation sought to evaluate the tenets of the integrative model that link the classroom climate, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and self-regulated motivation to perceived knowledge transferability. Participants included 4385 students (2185 females, 2200 males) enrolled in courses across a variety of disciplines at a large university in the U.S. Midwest. The students completed a cross-sectional survey, and the data analysis process proceeded using factor analytic and structural equation modeling procedures. Results indicate that the data were a good fit for the model, C3(342) = 6691.75, p < .001, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .05, TLI = .94, CFI = .95. Developing student-centered learning environments is integral to enhancing motivation and perceptions of knowledge transferability through the satisfaction of students’ need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alessio, H. (2004). Student perceptions about and performance in problem-based learning. Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4, 23–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axtell, C., Maitlis, S., & Yearta, S. K. (1997). Predicting immediate and longer-term transfer of training. Personnel Review, 26, 201–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benware, L. M., & Deci, E. L. (1984). Quality of learning with an active verses passive motivational set. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 755–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt, B. A., & Sheldon, K. (2001). Social roles as mechanisms for psychological need satisfaction within social groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 1131–1143.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Billing, D. (2007). Teaching for transfer of core/key skills in higher education: Cognitive skills. Higher Education, 53, 483–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, A. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). The effects of instructors' autonomy support and students' autonomous motivation on learning organic chemistry: A self-determination theory perspective. Science Education, 84, 740–756.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, D. C., Marsh, K., Wilcox, K., & Cohen, B. (2011). Beyond satisfaction: Toward an outcomes based, procedural model of faculty development program evaluation. Journal of Faculty Development, 25(3), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (1998). Structural equation modeling with LISREL, PRELIS, and SIMPLIS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Mahwah: Lawerence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chemolli, E., & Gagne, M. (2014). Evidence agains the continuum structure underlying motivation measures derived from self-determination theory. Psychological Assessment, 26, 575–585.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De George-Walker, L., & Keeffe, M. (2010). Aelf-determined blended learning: A case study of blended learning design. Higher Education Research and Development, 29, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, T. D. (1991). A motivational appropach to the self: Integration in personality. In R. Dienstbier (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (Vol. 38). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49, 182–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., & Williams, G. C. (1996). Need satisfaction and the self-regulation of learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 8, 165–183s.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamantopoulos, A., & Siguaw, J. A. (2000). Introducing LISREL: A guide for the uninitiated. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Everett, D. R. (2010). Factors that influence transfer of learning from the online environment. Information Systems Education Journal, 8(4), 3–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W. S., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with children’s self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 143–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guay, F., Vallerand, R. J., & Blanchard, C. (2000). On the assessment of situational intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The situational motivation scale (SIMS). Motivation and Education, 24, 175–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haskell, R. E. (2000). Transfer of learning: Cognition, instruction, and reasoning. San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatcher, L. (1994). A step-by-step approach to using the SAS system for factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Cary: SAS Institute, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooper, T. (2009). The impact on career direction of a tertiary management programme for mid-career ICT professionals. Higher Education Research and Development, 28, 509–522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jang, H., Reeve, J., & Deci, E. L. (2010). Engaging students in learning activities: It is not autonomy support or structure but autonomy support and structure. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 588–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kasser, T., Davey, J., & Ryan, R. M. (1992). Motivation, dependability, and employee-supervisor discrepancies in psychiatric vocational rehabilitation settings. Rehabilitation Psychology, 37, 175–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling: Modeling in the social sciences (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraiger, K., Ford, J. K., & Salas, E. (1993). Application of cognitive, skill-based, and affective theories of learning outcomes to new methods of training evaluation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 311–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyndt, E., Dochy, P., Struyven, K., & Cascallar, E. (2011). The direct and indirect effect of motivation for learning on students' approaches to learning through the perceptions of workload and task complexity. Higher Education Research and Development, 30, 135–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, A. D., & Miller, A. L. (2014). Lower response rates on alumni surveys might not mean lower response representitiveness. Educational Research Quarterly, 37(3), 38–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levesque, C. S., Zuehlke, N., Stanek, L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Autonomy and competence in German and U.S. university students: A comparative study based on self-determination theory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(68-84).

  • Levesque-Bristol, C., Sell, G. R., & Zimmerman, J. A. (2006). A theory-based integrative model for learning and motivation in higher education. In S. Chadwick-Blossey & D. R. Robertson (Eds.), To improve the academy (Vol. 24, pp. 86–103). Boston: Anker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levesque-Bristol, C., Knapp, T. D., & Fisher, B. J. (2010). The effectiveness of service-learning: It's not always what you think. The Journal of Experimental Education, 33, 208–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levesque-Bristol, C., Flierl, M., Zywicki, C., Parker, L. C., Connor, C., Guberman, D., Nelson, D., Maybee, C., Bonem, E., FitzSimmons, J., & Lott, E. (2019). Creating student-centered learning environments and changing teaching culture: Purdue University’s IMPACT program (occasional paper 38). Urbana: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, C. H. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data: Comparing robust maximum likelihood and diagonally weighted least squares. Behavior Research Methods, 1-15, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0619-7.

  • Martin, A. J., & Dowson, M. (2009). Interpersonal relationships, motivation, engagement, and achievement: Yields for theory, current issues, and educational practice. Review of Educational Research, 79, 327–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Belenky, D. M. (2011). Incorporating motivation into a theoretical framework for knowledge transfer. In J. P. M. B. H. Ross (Ed.), Cognition in education (Vol. 55, pp. 109–135). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ntoumanis, N. (2001). A self-determination approach to the understanding of motivation in physical education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(2), 225–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, J., Lok, P., Hung, R. Y., & Fang, S. C. (2006). An integrative model of organizational learning and social capital on effective knowledge transfer and perceived organizational performance. Journal of Workplace Learning, 20, 245–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. A. R., & Levesque-Bristol, C. (2014). Student learning and motivation in physical education. Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators, 27(2), 43–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. A. R., & Levesque-Bristol, C. (2016). The influence of self-efficacy and self-regulated motivation on civic learning in service-learning courses. Journal of College Student Development, 57, 827–843.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. A. R., & Velasquez, J. D. (2014). First year millennial students’ perceptions of instruction in large lectures: The top ten mistakes their instructors make. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(2), 25–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2013). Toward a social psychology of assimilation: Self-determination theory in cognitive development and education. In B. W. Sokol, F. M. E. Grouzet, & U. Muller (Eds.), Self-regulation and autonomy: Social and developmental dimensions of human conduct (pp. 191–207). Cambirdge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1994). Corrections to test statistics and standard errors in covariance structure analysis. In A. von Eye & C. C. Clogg (Eds.), Latent variable analysis: Applications for developmental research (pp. 399–419). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreiber, J. A., Stage, F. K., King, J., Nora, A., & Barlow, E. A. (2006). Reporting structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis results: A review. The Journal of Educational Research, 99, 323–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svinicki, M. D. (2004). Learning and motivation in the postsecondary classroom. Boston: Anker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talley, A., Kocum, L., Schlegel, R. J., Molix, L., & Bettencourt, B. A. (2012). Social roles, basic psychological needs, and psychological health: The central role of competence. Personality and Psychology Bulletin, 38(2), 155–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teo, T., Lee, C. B., Chai, C. S., & Wong, S. L. (2009). Assessing the intention to use technology among pre-service teachers in Singapore and Malaysia: A multigroup invariance analysis of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Computers & Education, 53, 1000–1009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E. J. (2007). Thoughtful planning fosters learning transfer. [reports - descriptive]. Adult Learning, 18(3–4), 4–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 29, pp. 271–360). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Broeck, A., & Rosen, C. C. (2016). A review of self-determination theory basic psychological needs at work. Journal of Management, 42, 1195–1229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vansteenkiste, M., & Ryan, R. M. (2013). On psychological growth and vulnerability: Basic psychological need satisfaction and need frustration as a unifying principle. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 25, 263–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., & Haggerty, N. (2009). Knowledge transfer in virtual settings: The role of individual virtual competency. Information Systems Journal, 19(6), 571–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H. H., Chen, H. T., Lin, H. S., & Hong, Z. R. (2017). The effects of college students’ positive thinking, learning motivation, abd self-regulation through a self-reflection intervention in Taiwan. Higher Education Research and Development, 36, 201–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G. C., & Deci, E. L. (1996). Internalization of biopsychosocial values by medical students: A test of self-determination theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 767–779.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, S. (2019). A cross-classified path analysis of the general self-determination theory model on situational, individual, and classroom levels. PhD Dissertation. Purdue University.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University, 340 Centennial Mall, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Chantal Levesque-Bristol

  2. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 348 Freer Hall, 906 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    K. Andrew R. Richards

  3. Chicago Center for Teaching, University of Chicago, 1050 East 59th St., Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Angelika Zissimopoulos

  4. Yale University, OML 301, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Cong Wang

  5. Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 2001 Longxiang Dr., Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

    Shi Yu

Authors
  1. Chantal Levesque-Bristol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Andrew R. Richards
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Angelika Zissimopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Cong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Shi Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Andrew R. Richards.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interests

All of the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Levesque-Bristol, C., Richards, K.A.R., Zissimopoulos, A. et al. An evaluation of the integrative model for learning and motivation in the college classroom. Curr Psychol 41, 1447–1459 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00671-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00671-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation