Self-determination theory (SDT) is a well-established theory of motivation that posits that we grow optimally to the degree to which we are afforded autonomy support, the collective term for the provision of opportunities to satisfy our needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Although Ryan and Niemiec (2009) suggest that self-determination theory can be “critical and liberating,” I trouble their assertion, and propose that redefining the student role is an essential form of autonomy support if we wish to follow through on these possibilities. To that end, I undertook a narrative inquiry into five students’ experiences in a set of non-traditional university courses. Once these students redefined their roles, they engaged more agentically in other courses by expressing themselves more, taking more risks, and even standing up to miseducative instructors on their own and their peers’ behalves. They came to perceive themselves as agents of change in their institutions and in other arenas, following through on the critical and liberating potential of SDT that Ryan and Niemiec had envisioned. This study has broad implications for how we engage with students and structure our institutions, as well as how we conduct SDT research, if we wish to capitalise on this potential.

中文翻译：

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通过角色重新定义支持学生：自我决定理论的视角

自我决定理论（SDT）是一种行之有效的动机理论，认为我们可以最佳地成长到可以得到自治支持的程度，这是提供满足我们对自治，亲和力和需求的机会的总称。权限。尽管Ryan和Niemiec（2009）提出自决理论可以是“批判性的和解放性的”，我对他们的主张感到不安，并建议如果我们希望遵循这些可能性，那么重新定义学生的角色是自治支持的一种基本形式。为此，我对一组非传统大学课程中的五名学生的经历进行了叙述性调查。一旦这些学生重新定义了自己的角色，他们就会通过更多地表达自己，承担更多风险，甚至可以独自面对自己和同龄人的行为而受到误导的指导。继瑞安和涅米耶夫设想的SDT的关键和解放潜力之后，他们开始意识到自己是机构和其他领域变革的推动者。如果我们希望利用这种潜力，这项研究对我们如何与学生互动和组织机构以及我们如何进行SDT研究具有广泛的意义。