This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Chirkov, V. I. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A cross-cultural analysis of autonomy in education

A self-determination theory perspective

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, v.chirkov{at}usask.ca

In this article I highlight recent (published after 2000) cross-cultural studies on the role of autonomous academic motivation and autonomy support in students' cognitive and psychological development. The self-determination theory (SDT) thesis of a universal beneficial role of autonomous motivation is supported by numerous empirical results from educational researchers from diverse educational settings around the world. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of recognizing students' basic needs for autonomy in learning environments, and the cultural deterministic models of socio-cultural differences that have obscured that need. Studies within the SDT provide strong psychological evidence to support a more interactive, multidimensional picture of human nature in various sociocultural contexts.

Key Words: autonomous motivation • cross-cultural study • education • self-determination theory

References

• Archer, M.S. (2000) Being Human: The Problem of Agency. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Assor, A., Kaplan, H., Kanat-Maymon, Y., and Roth, G. (2005) `Directly controlling teacher behaviors as predictors of poor motivation and engagement in girls and boys: The role of anger and anxiety', Learning and Instruction, 15(5): 397-413.[CrossRef]
• Brown, D.E. (1991) Human Universals. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Chirkov, V.I. and Ryan, R.M. (2001) `Parent and teacher autonomy-support in Russian and U.S. adolescents: Common effects on well-being and academic motivation', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 32(5): 618-35.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Chirkov, V.I., Ryan, R.M., Kim, Y. and Kaplan, U. (2003) `Differentiating autonomy from individualism and independence: A self-determination theory perspective on internalization of cultural orientations and well-being', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 84(1): 97-110.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Chirkov, V.I., Ryan, R.M. and Willness, C. (2005) `Cultural context and psychological needs in Canada and Brazil: Testing a self-determination approach to internalization of cultural practices, identity and well-being', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 36(4): 425-43.
• Cross, S.E. and Gore, J.S. (2003) `Cultural models of the self', in M.R. Leary and J.P. Tangney (eds), Handbook of Self and Identity, pp. 536-64. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Downie, M., Chua, S.N., Koestner, R., Barrios, M.-F., Rip, B. and M'Birkou, S. (2007) `The relations of parental autonomy support to cultural internalization and well-being of immigrants and sojourners', Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 13(3): 241-9.[CrossRef]
• Grouzet, F.M.E., Otis, N. and Pelletier, L.G. (2006) `Longitudinal cross-gender factorial invariance of the academic motivation scale', Structural Equation Modelling 13(1): 73-98.[CrossRef]
• Hagger, M.S., Chatzisarantis, N.L.D., Barkoukis, V., Wang, C.K.J. and Baranowski, J. (2005) `Perceived autonomy support in physical education and leisure-time physical activity: a cross-cultural evaluation of the trans-contextual model', Journal of Educational Psychology 97(3): 376-90.[CrossRef]
• Hagger, M.S., Chatzisarantis, N.L.D., Hein, V., Pihu, M., Soos, I. and Karsai, I. (2007) `The perceived autonomy support scale for exercise settings (PASSES): Development, validity, and cross-cultural invariance in young people', Psychology of Sport and Exercise 8: 632-53.[CrossRef]
• Hardre, P.L., Chen, C., Huang, S., Chiang, C., Jen, F. and Warden, L. (2006) `Factors affecting high school students' academic motivation in Taiwan', Asia Pacific Journal of Education 26: 198-207.
• Hayamizu, T. (1997) `Between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Examination of reasons for academic study based on the theory of internalization', Japanese Psychological Research 37: 98-108.
• Helwig, C.C. (2006) `The development of personal autonomy throughout cultures', Cognitive Development 21: 458-73.[CrossRef]
• Helwig, C.C., Arnold, M.L., Tan, D. and Boyd, D. (2007) `Mainland Chinese and Canadian adolescents' judgments and reasoning about the fairness of democratic and other forms of government', Cognitive Development 22(1): 96-109.[CrossRef]
• Iyengar, S.S. and DeVoe, S.E. (2003) `Rethinking the value of choice: considering cultural mediators of intrinsic motivation', Nebraska Symposium on Motivation 49: 129-74.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Iyengar, S.S. and Leeper, M.R. (1999) `Rethinking the value of choice: A cultural perspective on intrinsic motivation', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 76: 349-66.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Jang, H., Reeve, J., Ryan, R.M. and Kim, A. (in press) `Can self-determination theory explain what underlies the productive, satisfying learning experiences of collectivistically-oriented Korean students?'. Manuscript submitted for publication.
• Juarrero, A. (1999) Dynamics in Action: Intentional Behavior as a Complex System. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Kagitcibasi, C. (2005) `Autonomy and relatedness in cultural context: Implications for self and family', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 36(4): 403-22.[Abstract]
• Kagitcibasi, C. (2007) Family, Self, and Human Development Across Cultures, 2nd edn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Keller, H. (2007) Cultures of Infancy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Koestner, R., Vallerand, R.J., Losier, G.F. and Carducci, D. (1996) `Identified and introjected forms of political internalization: Extending self-determination theory', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70: 1025-36.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Lahat, A., Helwig, C.C., Yang, S., Tan, D. and Liu, C. (in press) `Mainland Chinese adolescents' judgements and reasoning about self-determination and nurturance rights', Social Development.
• Legault, L., Green-Demers, I. and Pelletier, L. (2005) `Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support', Journal of Educational Psychology 98(3): 567-82.[CrossRef]
• Levesque, C., Zuehlke, A.N., Stanek, L.R. and Ryan, R.M. (2004) `Autonomy and competence in German and American university students: A comparative study based on self-determination theory', Journal of Educational Psychology 96(1): 68-84.[CrossRef]
• Li, J. (2002) `A cultural model of learning: Chinese "heart and mind for wanting to learn"', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 33(3): 248-69.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Li, J. (2004) `Learning as a task or a virtue: U.S. and Chinese preschoolers explain learning', Developmental Psychology 40(4): 595-605.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Markus, H.R. and Kitayama, S. (2003) `Models of agency: sociocultural diversity in the construction of action', Nebraska Symposium on Motivation 49: 1-57.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Miller, J.G. (1999) `Cultural conceptions of duty: Implications for motivation and morality', in D. Munroe, J.F. Schumaker and S.C. Carr (eds), Motivation and Culture, pp. 178-92. New York: Routledge.
• Muller, F.H. and Louw, J. (2004) `Learning environment, motivation and interest: Perspectives on self-determination theory', South African Journal of Psychology 34(2): 169-90.
• Murphy-Berman, V. and Berman, J., eds (2003) Cross-cultural Differences in Perspectives on the Self. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
• Murphy, N. and Brown, W.S. (2007) Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Neff, K.D. and Helwig, C.C. (2002) `A constructivist approach to understanding the development of reasoning about rights and authority within cultural contexts', Cognitive Development 17: 1429-50.[CrossRef]
• Ntoumanis, N. (2005) `A prospective study of participation in optional school physical education using a self-determination theory framework', Journal of Educational Psychology 97(3): 44-53.
• Ommundsen, Y. and Kvalo, S.E. (2007) `Autonomy-mastery supportive or performance focused? Different teacher behaviours and pupils' outcomes in physical education', Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 51(4): 385-413.[CrossRef]
• Pelletier, L.G., Tuson, K.M. and Haddad, N.K. (1997) `Client motivation for therapy scale: A measure of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation for therapy', Journal of Personality Assessment 68: 414-35.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Reeve, J., Deci, E.L. and Ryan, R.M. (2004) `Self-determination theory: A dialectical framework for understanding socio-cultural influences on student motivation', in D. McInerney and S.V. Etten (eds), Big Theories Revisited, Vol. 4, pp. 31-59. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Press.
• Reeve, J. and Jang, H. (2006) `What teachers say and do to support students' autonomy during a learning activity', Journal of Educational Psychology 98(1): 209-18.[CrossRef]
• Roth, G., Assor, A., Kanat-Maymon, Y. and Kaplan, H. (2006) `Assessing the experience of autonomy in new cultures and contexts', Motivation and Emotion 30(4): 361-72.[CrossRef]
• Roth, G., Assor, A., Kanat-Maymon, Y. and Kaplan, H. (2007) `Autonomous motivation for teaching: How self-determined teaching may lead to self-determined learning', Journal of Educational Psychology 99(4): 761-74.[CrossRef]
• Rudy, D., Sheldon, K.M., Awong, T. and Tan, H.H. (2007) `Autonomy, culture, and well-being: The benefits of inclusive autonomy', Journal of Research in Personality 41: 983-1007.[CrossRef]
• Ryan, R.M. and Connell, J.P. (1989) `Perceived locus of causality and internalization: Examining reasons for acting in two domains', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57: 749-61.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Ryan, R.M. and Deci, E.L. (2003) `On assimilating identities to the self: A self-determination theory perspective on internalization and integrity within cultures', in M.R. Leary and J.P. Tangney (eds), Handbook of Self and Identity, pp. 253-72. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Ryan, R.M., Deci, E.L., Grolnick, W.S. and La Guardia, J.G. (2006) `The significance of autonomy and autonomy support in psychological development and psychopathology', in D. Cicchetti and D. J. Cohen (eds), Developmental psychopathology, 2nd edn, Vol. 1, pp. 795-849. New York: Wiley.
• Ryan, R.M., Kuhl, J. and Deci, E.L. (1997) `Nature and autonomy: Organizational view of social and neurobiological aspects of self-regulation in behavior and development', Development and Psychopathology 9: 701-28.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Ryan, R.M., Rigby, S. and King, K. (1993) `Two types of religious internalization and their relations to religious orientations and mental health', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65: 586-96.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Shapiro, I. (2005) The Flight from the Reality in the Human Sciences. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Sheldon, K.M., Elliot, A., Ryan, R.M., Chirkov, V.I., Kim, Y., Wu, C., Demir, M. and Sun, Z. (2004) `Self-concordance and subjective well-being in four cultures', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 35(2): 209-23.[Abstract]
• Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Beyers, W. and Ryan, R.M. (2007) `Conceptualizing parental autonomy support: Adolescent perceptions of promotion of independence versus promotion of volitional functioning', Developmental Psychology 43(3): 633-46.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Stewart, S.M., Bond, M.H., Ho, L.M., Zaman, R.M., Dar, R. and Anwar, M. (2000) `Perceptions of parents and adolescent outcomes in Pakistan', British Journal of Developmental Psychology,18: 335-52.[CrossRef]
• Szadejko, K. (2003) `Percezione di autonomia, competenza e relazionalità. Adattamento italiano del questionario Basic Psychological Needs Scale', Orientamenti Pedagogici (5): 853-72.
• Tanaka, K. and Yamauchi, H. (2000) `Influence of autonomy on perceived control beliefs and self-regulated learning in Japanese undergraduate students', North American Journal of Psychology 2: 255-72.
• Trouilloud, D., Sarrazin, P., Bressoux, P. and Bois, J. (2006) `Relation between teachers' early expectations and students' later perceived competence in physical education classes: autonomy-supportive climate as a moderator', Journal of Educational Psychology 98(1): 75-86.[CrossRef]
• Vallerand, R.J., Blais, M.R., Brière, N.M. and Pelletier, L.G. (1989) `Construction et validation de l'échelle de motivation en éducation (ÉMÉ) [Construction and validation of the Échelle de Motivation en Éducation - ÉMÉ]', Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 21: 323-49.[CrossRef]
• Vallerand, R.J., Pelletier, L.G., Blais, M.R., Brière, N.M., Senécal, C.B. and Vallières, É.F. (1993) `On the assessment of intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation in education: Evidence on the concurrent and construct validity of the academic motivational scale', Educational and Psychological Measurement 53: 159-72.[Abstract]
• Vansteenkiste, M., Zhou, M., Lens, W. and Soenens, B. (2005) `Experiences of autonomy and control among Chinese learners: vitalizing or immobilizing?', Journal of Educational Psychology 97(3): 468-83.[CrossRef]
• Varela, F. (1979) Principles of Biological Autonomy. New York: Elsevier North Holland.
• Varela, F.G., Maturana, H.R. and Uribe, R. (1974) `Autopoesis: the organization of living systems, its characterization and a model', Biosystems 5: 187-96.[CrossRef]
• Wang, Q. and Li, J. (2003) `Chinese children's self-concepts in the domain of learning and social relations', Psychology in the Schools 40(1): 85-101.[CrossRef]
• Yamauchi, H. and Tanaka, K. (1998) `Relations of autonomy, self-referenced beliefs and self-regulated learning among Japanese children', Psychological Reports 82: 803-16.[CrossRef]

Theory and Research in Education, Vol. 7, No. 2, 253-262 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1477878509104330


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Chirkov, V. I. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?