Mindset and perceived parental support of autonomy safeguard adolescents’ autonomous motivation during COVID-19 home-based learning

Abstract

During school closures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, less support from peers and teachers may have required more autonomous motivation from adolescents. Little is known about factors that could shield against these negative effects. Driven by two influential motivational theories, we examined how mindset, feelings of school burnout and the three basic psychological needs of the self-determination theory, could predict changes in autonomous motivation when controlling for pre-pandemic levels of motivation. The results from a sample of Dutch adolescents (Mage = 14.63 years) and their parents (Mage = 48.65 years) showed that endorsing a growth mindset was positively associated with autonomous motivation during the school closures, while feelings of school burnout were negatively associated with autonomous motivation. Additionally, perceived parental autonomy support (i.e. a measure of the basic psychological need of autonomy) related to more autonomous motivation during home-based learning. Our findings highlight the personal and family factors that influence how adolescents respond to home-based learning and suggest ways to keep adolescents motivated and diminish possible negative consequences during future home-based learning situations.

Role of pandemic‐related experiences and maternal psychological distress in maternal rejection

“…Supporting this possibility, recent research on challenges and resilience during the pandemic has revealed a theme of dynamics of parental attention that emphasizes increased attention toward younger children (Eales et al, 2021). On a positive note, a study on adolescents' motivation for home‐based learning found that parents who supported autonomy positively influenced their children's academic achievements in online education (Benneker et al, 2023). Considering the recent findings, we can suggest that targeted parental support can make a significant difference in adolescent development, offering practical insights for interventions and family strategies in challenging circumstances.…”

“…The burden on parents has significantly increased as they tried to balance work, child care, and household chores (Marzilli et al, 2021; Neubauer et al, 2021). Families with school‐aged children have faced challenges in their daily routines and relationships, especially as they adapted to the new normal of homeschooling and limited in‐person communication with peers and teachers (Benneker et al, 2023; Prime et al, 2020). On March 11, 2020, Türkiye reported its initial case of COVID‐19, marking the onset of a significant surge in cases across the country (Seker et al, 2020; Turkish Ministry of Health, 2020).…”

Validation of a scale for the perception of competences and attitudes in the context of public administration

“…In Portugal, the "Ethical Charter of Public Administration" presents ten ethical principles to be pursued by civil servants in their working life: public service; legality; justice and impartiality; equality; proportionality; collaboration and good faith; information and quality; loyalty; integrity; and competence and responsibility (DGAEP, 2016). Baron and Greenberg (2003) consider that motivation (Benneker et al, 2023) is a set of processes that initiate, direct and maintain human behaviour focused on the achievement of a goal. For George and Jones (2008), motivation (Au-Yong-Oliveira et al, 2023) can be considered as a set of psychological forces that determine the direction of an individual's behaviour, his or her level of effort and persistence in the face of obstacles.…”

“…Baron and Greenberg (2003) consider that motivation (Benneker et al , 2023) is a set of processes that initiate, direct and maintain human behaviour focused on the achievement of a goal. For George and Jones (2008), motivation (Au-Yong-Oliveira et al , 2023) can be considered as a set of psychological forces that determine the direction of an individual’s behaviour, his or her level of effort and persistence in the face of obstacles.…”

Coping styles mediate the relation between mindset and academic resilience in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial

“…Especially interesting from a prevention perspective, are a special kind of protective factors called 'resilience factors'; these are relatively stable predispositions that increase the likelihood of resilient responses to stressors, such as emotion regulation capacity, communication ability and positive appraisal style 16,17 . One potential resilience factor-growth mindset-is especially relevant in an educational context [18][19][20][21] and suitable…”