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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.6
Publication Date: June 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.76.8542.
Mohamedhoesein, N. (2020). The Relationships Between Need-Supportive Interactions With Peers and Teachers, Perceived Academic
Control, and Academic Success. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(6) 696-711.
The Relationships Between Need-Supportive Interactions With
Peers and Teachers, Perceived Academic Control, and Academic
Success
Nasser Mohamedhoesein,
Department of Sociology, VU University Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
ABSTRACT
This study discusses the relationships between students' need- supportive interactions, perceived academic control, and academic
success. The survey involved 192 undergraduate students from
different applied sciences universities in The Netherlands. The study
examined if students' interactions with peers and teachers, in support
of their needs (relatedness, autonomy, and competence), would
improve perceptions of academic control and academic success. The
constructs of perceived academic control, basic psychological needs,
and students’ formal and informal interaction with peers and teachers
were linked to each other in a path model. The findings of path analysis
showed that need-supportive interactions predicted positive
perceptions of academic control and academic success. Most relevant to
positive perceptions of academic control were students' formal
interactions with peers and teachers supporting their autonomy and
competence. Positive perceptions of academic control subsequently
supported academic success.
Keywords: student interaction; basic psychological needs; perceived
academic control; academic success; social integration; academic integration.
INTRODUCTION
Almost 59% of the students in the USA (National Center for Education Statistics[NCES], 2019) and
53% of students in The Netherlands (Central Bureau for Statistics[CBS], 2018) who started a 4-year
bachelor's degree program at a public college in 2010 graduated within six years. Students’ ultimate
success indicates that they maintained a certain level of involvement, motivation, and control over
their academic progress when coping with a variety of circumstances such as difficult classes, novel
academic tasks, or failing exams in the course of their college career (Ruthig et al., 2008).
The literature describes these students as having an internal locus of academic control (Weiner,
1986). Students with an internal locus of control perceive ownership of their academic progress
and try hard to overcome the obstacles they face. In contrast, students with an external locus of
control believe that difficulties are caused by powerful others, and therefore coping successfully
with problems depends largely on external factors.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 6, June-2020
Therefore, understanding what factors in the learning environment support an internal locus of
control may provide additional opportunities to improve academic success. In this study, we focus
on the relationship between students’ daily interactions in college and perception of control.
Previous suggestions on how to improve the perception of control, such as attributional retraining,
mainly focused on classroom intervention by teachers (Stewart et al., 2010; Haynes et al., 2009).
How students’ broader involvement with peers and teachers in the college environment may
contribute to positive perceptions of control was less explored.
Studies that examined students’ interactions showed that students who were better integrated into
the social and academic life of college were more likely to persist (Tinto, 1993). In addition, self- determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) suggests that when interactions in the social
environment of college support the psychological needs (relatedness, autonomy, and competence),
students become more autonomously motivated learners, which improves their self-regulation and
academic performance. The positive link between students’ interaction and support of the
psychological needs suggested by self-determination theory was confirmed in a previous study by
Crul (2018). This study showed that students’ formal and informal interactions with peers and
teachers served psychological needs that contributed to academic success.
In this article, we explore in three steps the effect of students’ formal and informal interactions with
peers and teachers, their content (psychological needs), and their relationship with perceived
academic control and academic success.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In this section, we first explain the different concepts we use for the methodological model we test.
We start with the importance of interactions with peers and teachers for students’ academic
experience. Next, we introduce the concept of the psychological needs relatedness, autonomy, and
competence, which brings in the importance of the content of interactions with peers and teachers.
We test in the model which of the three needs are most relevant for academic control. Finally, we
discuss the concept of academic control, which presents the idea that being in charge of the learning
process and goals is essential for academic success.
Interactions
Interaction theorists support the belief that the more students get involved in academic
experiences, the more likely they are to persist and succeed in college (Endo & Harpel, 1982; Astin,
1984; Tinto, 1993; Berger & Milem, 1999). Astin explains involvement as making an effort to study,
interact with peers and teachers, spend time on campus, and participate in student organizations.
Tinto describes involvement as students’ social and academic integration into college, which is
established through formal and informal interactions with peers (social integration) and with
teachers (academic integration). In this study, we organize interactions based on Tinto's view of
social and academic integration.
Social integration indicates that students feel connected to the social community of college, as they
share close bonds with peers with whom they also collaborate in learning. Interactions with peers
are seen as a critical predictor for intellectual involvement in college (Astin, 1993). For example,
Sidelinger (2010) showed that students' friendly relationships with peers encouraged them to
prepare for classes, which contributed to a supportive classroom atmosphere for discussions.
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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.76.8542 698
Mohamedhoesein, N. (2020). The Relationships Between Need-Supportive Interactions With Peers and Teachers, Perceived Academic Control, and Academic
Success. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(6) 696-711.
Formal peer interactions are, therefore, seen as a link between social and academic integration
(Dwyer et al., 2004; Crul, 2018).
Academic integration indicates students' familiarity and ease with the academic culture, which is
acquired through intellectual exchanges with the teachers in classrooms, as well as through
informal conversations outside the classroom. For example, when teachers are easy to understand,
offer clear examples, and repeat key concepts, students are more likely to become familiar with the
course content and more easily engage in classroom conversations (Chesebro & Wanzer, 2006).
When teachers additionally value their comments and questions, students feel recognized and
academically endorsed (Ellis, 2000). Ongoing positive classroom experiences with the teacher may
continue as friendly and supportive conversations outside the classroom, cementing students' sense
of belonging in the academic environment of college (Hirschy & Wilson, 2002).
Classroom experiences, often seen as most important for students' intellectual growth (Tinto,
1993), are, therefore, not isolated instances in college but are events shaped through supportive
formal and informal interactions with peers and teachers in the broader environment of college.
Hence, improving students' involvement in learning and increasing their chances to persist requires
a supportive nature of interactions. Accordingly, we discuss here the concept of basic psychological
need support.
Need-Supportive Interactions: Relatedness, Autonomy, and Competence
Interactions are considered need-supportive when they promote the three psychological needs:
relatedness, autonomy, and competence (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Relatedness need support refers to
fostering close and friendly relationships with significant others (e.g., peers and teachers) in the
learning environment. Support for relatedness makes students feel safe about opening up and
sharing their perspectives with others. For example, students' familiarity and acceptance of each
other are shown to assist classroom participation (Neer & Kircher, 1989). Autonomy need support
refers to acknowledging student perspectives and choices to create personally meaningful
connections with course content and learning objectives (ownership). For example, when teachers
interacted with students, showing sincere interest in their perspective on topics, it engendered
feelings of success and intrinsic involvement in learning (Koestner et al., 2008; Schrodt et al., 2006).
Competence need support refers to the assistance of students' skill development through clear
instructions and encouraging feedback, which makes them feel optimally challenged and effective
in their progress towards goals. For example, teacher confirmation of students' skills and progress
toward goals nurtured their sense of purpose and motivation. (Kenny et al., 2006; Schrodt et al.,
2006).
Support for the psychological needs, as explained by self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017),
fosters autonomous motivation and well-being. The theory further elaborates that students who
experience higher levels of need support feel more intrinsically motivated to engage in activities.
That is, when students find the activity itself to be enjoyable and rewarding, they are inclined to
devote more time and effort towards trying out different strategies to master skills (Ryan & Deci,
2017; Skinner et al., 2008; Ratelle et al., 2007). In contrast, lower levels of need support point to less
autonomous and more externally controlled motivation. That is, these students often feel that their
participation in activities is controlled by external factors such as tasks being forced upon them by
the teachers or the obligation to pass an exam. Consequently, students are more likely to feel a