Satisfaction of basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation in school context: a test of additive, synergistic, and balance hypotheses

Abstract

The present study examined the interactions between the three basic psychological needs and their relations to autonomous motivation in educational settings in a light of additive, synergistic, and balance hypotheses. Participants were 679 high school students (Mage = 16.16, 49.3% girls). Findings supported additive hypothesis: all three needs had unique effects to autonomous motivation. The synergistic hypothesis was only partially supported: one two-way interaction between autonomy and competence had effect on autonomous motivation. High satisfaction of need for autonomy led to autonomous motivation regardless of satisfaction of need for competence, however competence was positively related to autonomous motivation only when need for autonomy was low. The balance in need satisfaction had significant effect in addition to additive and synergistic effects.