Progress-focused

Research in self-determination theory has shown that individuals who are autonomously motivated make more progress and feel better. Research has also shown that autonomy support by parents, teachers or supervisors increases the autonomous motivation of children, students and employees respectively. That sounds logical and simple. But there is a little more to the interplay between these variables. New research by Levine et al. (2020) shows that an upward spiral occurs between autonomous motivation and autonomy support.

A new study from Theodore Powers and colleagues looks at the relationship between self-criticism and depression and the extent to which autonomy support can help reduce depressive symptoms.

Understanding the dynamics between parenting styles and children's psychological development is important. A new study by Chen et al. (2024) examines the relationship between parental autonomy support, basic psychological needs, and the self-esteem of Chinese primary school students. Through an extensive cross-sectional analysis, the study examines how autonomy support influences children's self-image.

How important is autonomy support in the workplace? A favorable working environment can have a significant impact on employee well-being. But what factors contribute to these favorable conditions? Recent research by Mokgata et al. (2022) shows that the degree of autonomy employees experience in their workplace is essential for their work performance and engagement. This article discusses the results of this important study, explains how different forms of support contribute to perceived autonomy and illustrates how these factors influence work behavior.

In progress-focused work, motivation plays a central role. One of the most important pillars is supporting autonomous motivation . This means that people engage in activities that they find interesting or important. But not everyone responds the same to autonomy support. Why is that? And what can we do when people respond less positively to it? Here, causality orientation theory (COT) – a relatively “forgotten” mini-theory within self-determination theory (SDT) – offers valuable insights. Read here how you can work with individuals with different causality orientations.

The dual process model provides insight into how teachers can support student motivation. Self-determination theory offers important clues for how teachers can improve student motivation. This article provides a summary of these types of interventions. When teachers apply these interventions, students are likely to feel better, become more engaged in lessons and learn and perform better. Jang, Kim & Reeve (2016) show that a two-track approach, or, as they call it, a "dual process model", is needed to achieve this.

Autonomy support is effective in parenting, in teaching, and in leadership at work. Some incorrectly think that a remark like this should be read as a plea for 'anything goes'. Autonomy support does not mean that no structure is offered. Autonomy support and structure go hand in hand. Offering structure strengthens the perception of autonomy and is even often a prerequisite for it. I elaborate this thought using the context of education as an example.

How does autonomy support by coaches relate to the functioning of athletes? In the sports world, stories are regularly published about how athletes are guided authoritatively by their coaches. For example, in the gymnastics world, athletes were humiliated, insulted, and blackmailed. The most important motivation theory within psychology, the self- determination theory (SDT), argues for a completely different way of guiding athletes. This way of coaching revolves around autonomy support. A new study maps the correlations between autonomy support and various aspects of athlete functioning.

Two concepts are central to the progress-focused approach : the growth mindset and autonomous motivation. These theories form important pillars of our approach, which is aimed at sustainable effort and meaningful progress. But do growth mindset and autonomous motivation have anything to do with each other? Don't the concepts come from very different research schools? The answer is yes, they are definitely related. In this article, I look at some studies that show there is an interesting interplay between growth mindset and autonomous motivation.

Description of a study by Clegg et al. (2022) on the predictors and correlates of autonomous motivation and controlled motivation. In other words: how good motivation is created and what effects it has.

Research from self-determination theory suggests that autonomy-support by educators, teachers and managers contributes to the well-being and functioning of children, students and staff. What about the effects of supporting your own autonomy? 

What is effective leadership? The effective leader was once seen as the undisputed, dominant authority who understood everything and made every decision. But our view of what constitutes effective and acceptable leadership has transformed significantly over the years. Ancient beliefs about leadership were heavily based on dogmas and intuitions. But we can no longer rely solely on our intuitions when it comes to determining leadership quality. Empirical research has proven its necessity in discovering what really works in leadership. Psychological science offers indispensable methods and crucial insights. In this article, I dive deeper into some of these studies, which illustrate how empirical science has fundamentally changed our view of leadership.

Self-determination theory (SDT) was developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan . They are now among the most-cited psychologists in the world. SDT is the best-researched and most influential motivation theory today. We discuss the value of the SDT for education, showing how important autonomy support and structure are for good motivation.

Autonomy support is useful in many contexts such as leadership, teaching, and parenting. Research provides indications that autonomy support by parents contributes to children functioning well, developing well and feeling good. A study by Andreadakis et al. (2019) examines how parents can provide autonomy support to toddlers in situations where toddlers need to do things that are important but not interesting to them, such as cleaning up, taking a bath, washing hands, etc.

By providing autonomy-support to others you can help them a lot. But what do you do when your own motivation isn't so autonomous?  Yesterday, we did a workshop progress-focused management with approximately 25 directors and team leaders of a group of schools. One of the topics we talked about was autonomy support. As a reader of this website, you probably know that self-determination theory distinguishes autonomous motivation from controlled motivation. For new readers, here is a brief summary.

Self-determination theory (SDT) is one of the most powerful frameworks to understand how human flourishing can develop. Here is a very brief recap of what it is*. SDT assumes two things about human beings: 1) that they are naturally active and growth-oriented, and 2) that they have a tendency toward psychological integration . This second process means that, as people encounter new experiences, they are challenged to integrate them with existing aspects of themselves. This process of integration leads individuals to develop increasingly complex self-structures in which values and regulatory processes from outside are internalized.

The importance of autonomous functioning As research into self-determination theory has shown there is a strong connection between people’s autonomous functioning and their wellness, their open, engaged and healthy functioning. When people feel autonomous they feel they can make their own choices and follow their own preferences. This does not mean they will be selfish, over individualistic, or self-sufficient. In fact, under good enough conditions, people will actively attempt to internalize and integrate the norms, rules and values of their environment, in other words make them their own. This process of internalizing and integrating external norms, rules and values will happen best 1) when they are transmitted in an autonomy supportive rather than a controlling way, and 2) when these norms, rules and values are congruent with the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2011).

Here are some recent research updates relevant to the progress-focused approach:

Does autonomy-supportive teaching also work in other cultures than Western cultures? Researchers Yu et al. (2016) conducted a longitudinal study of the effects of autonomy support among Chinese students transitioning from primary to secondary education (N = 236). The study lasted 18 months. The researchers administered questionnaires at 4 times: in the autumn of the 1st class (T1), in the spring of the 1st class (T2), in the autumn of the 2nd class (T3) and in the spring of the 2nd class ( T4).  Content of the questionnaires  These questionnaires related to  Teacher Autonomy Support (TAS), experienced autonomy support by teachers. Scale consisting of 5 items.  Basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS), fulfillment of basic psychological needs. Scale consisting of 18 items.  School engagement . Scale consisting of 15 items.  Anxiety and depression . Scale consisting of 8 items.  Expectations  Based on the self-determination theory, the rese...

In two Chinese government schools some central ideas from self-determination theory were tested ( Nie et al., 2017 ). What was specifically tested were the effects of perceived autonomy support by managers on the motivation of employees (266 teachers) and on several output criteria (job satisfaction, work stress, and illness symptoms). The expectation based on previous research were that perceived autonomy support (1) would predict more autonomous motivation (versus controlled motivation, and (2) more job satisfaction, with less work stress, and less illness symptoms. The figure below summarizes the findings of the study.