Learning-Environment Uncertainty and Students’ Approaches to Learning: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Students’ Approaches to Learning (SAL) and their Relations to Burnout among University Freshmen in Singapore

“…They can also refer to components in the learning environment such as the course content, assessment requirements, expectations, relationship amongst peers and between teachers and students (Entwistle, 2003;Williams et al, 2022). Freshmen may have resorted to using unre ective approach as a strategy to minimize the uncertainties in the learning environment (Englund et al, 2022). This was re ected in the interviews with our students (see section 5.5).…”

“…As exhaustion refers to being emotionally tired and burdened, and cynicism describes an indifferent attitude towards one's studies, students who are exhausted and cynical could resort to using primarily an unre ective approach (e.g., memorization of content, learning content in bits and pieces and not making connections between prior knowledge and current learnt information) to cope with their studies (Asikainen et al, 2022). A study by Englund et al (2022) somewhat a rms the above proposition by Asikainen et al ( 2022) by concluding that an unre ective approach becomes a coping device for minimizing or managing the perceived uncertainties in the learning environment, based on interview ndings of 19 students from a Swedish university. On the ip side, an unre ective approach could also result in students becoming more exhausted, develop cynical attitudes, and harbouring feelings of inadequacy, as they experience increasing demands in the learning environment (Asikainen et al, 2022), such as higher expectations at university and the need to function more autonomously (Meehan & Howells, 2018;Bembenutty, 2011).…”

The Correlation Between Motivation and IELTS Reading Achievement Among Chinese Students

“…Intrinsic motivation may include a genuine interest in mastering English or enjoying the reading process (Liu, 2020), while extrinsic motivation could involve aiming for high IELTS scores to meet academic requirements (Kotera et al, 2023). Moreover, SDT emphasizes the role of educational environments in supporting or thwarting these psychological needs (Englund et al, 2023). For instance, teaching practices that promote autonomy, offer constructive feedback to enhance competence, and foster a supportive classroom community can signi cantly boost students' motivation and academic outcomes (Reeve & Cheon, 2021).…”