Abstract:
Key words: need-supportive teaching, need-thwarting teaching, school transition, motivation, academic wellbeing
The literature highlights the importance of need-supportive teaching practices, which promote students’ development of autonomy, competence and relatedness. At the same time, there is also research examining need-thwarting teaching practices, which hinder students’ need for autonomy, competence and relatedness (Collie et al., 2019; Rocchi et al., 2017; Jang et al., 2016). Although research demonstrates that need-supportive practices are linked with positive outcomes, and that the reverse is true for need-thwarting practices, limited work has considered the role of these practices as students transition from primary to secondary school. Transitioning from primary school to secondary school is an important milestone in a young person’s life course, but it is often linked with declines in motivation and wellbeing (Collie et al., 2019). Ascertaining the extent to which teaching practices can play a role in bolstering a successful transition to secondary school is thus important.
This study therefore investigated how need-supportive and -thwarting teaching practices in Year 6 are associated with students’ motivation (self-efficacy and valuing), and other academic wellbeing factors (academic buoyancy, educational aspirations, and life satisfaction) in Year 7. This study involved sampling two cohorts—Year 6 students starting Year 7 in 2023 (Cohort 22/23), and Year 6 students starting Year 7 in 2024 (Cohort 23/24), across six schools in New South Wales and Victoria (approximately 240 students). Students in both cohorts undertook a survey at Time 1 (conducted among Year 6 students in Term 4) and Time 2 (conducted in the first half of the school year when students were in Year 7). Results indicated that the need-supportive and need-thwarting practices played unique roles in relation to the motivation and academic wellbeing factors. Combined, findings provide important insights about the most salient teaching practices for supporting adaptive outcomes during students’ transition from primary to secondary school.
The literature highlights the importance of need-supportive teaching practices, which promote students’ development of autonomy, competence and relatedness. At the same time, there is also research examining need-thwarting teaching practices, which hinder students’ need for autonomy, competence and relatedness (Collie et al., 2019; Rocchi et al., 2017; Jang et al., 2016). Although research demonstrates that need-supportive practices are linked with positive outcomes, and that the reverse is true for need-thwarting practices, limited work has considered the role of these practices as students transition from primary to secondary school. Transitioning from primary school to secondary school is an important milestone in a young person’s life course, but it is often linked with declines in motivation and wellbeing (Collie et al., 2019). Ascertaining the extent to which teaching practices can play a role in bolstering a successful transition to secondary school is thus important.
This study therefore investigated how need-supportive and -thwarting teaching practices in Year 6 are associated with students’ motivation (self-efficacy and valuing), and other academic wellbeing factors (academic buoyancy, educational aspirations, and life satisfaction) in Year 7. This study involved sampling two cohorts—Year 6 students starting Year 7 in 2023 (Cohort 22/23), and Year 6 students starting Year 7 in 2024 (Cohort 23/24), across six schools in New South Wales and Victoria (approximately 240 students). Students in both cohorts undertook a survey at Time 1 (conducted among Year 6 students in Term 4) and Time 2 (conducted in the first half of the school year when students were in Year 7). Results indicated that the need-supportive and need-thwarting practices played unique roles in relation to the motivation and academic wellbeing factors. Combined, findings provide important insights about the most salient teaching practices for supporting adaptive outcomes during students’ transition from primary to secondary school.