ABSTRACT

Despite continuously growing literature that emphasises the significant role of students’ agency in classroom activities, the construct of agentic engagement has received scant attention in recent empirical research. Drawing from the self-determination theory, the present study aims to determine the relationship between teacher autonomy support and agentic engagement, and explore whether personal best goals mediate such associations. For this purpose, using a cross-sectional design, data from 536 university students in northern Malaysia were analysed. The associations among the constructs were evaluated using structural equation modelling. The empirical results indicate that students’ perceptions of teacher autonomy support were associated with personal best goals and agentic engagement. In addition, the findings suggest that personal best goals significantly mediate the relationship between teacher autonomy support and agentic engagement. These findings highlight the critical role of personal best goals as a mechanism by which an autonomy-supportive teaching style facilitates students’ agency during their learning activities.

摘要

尽管越来越多的文献强调学生能动性在课堂活动中的重要作用，但在最近的实证研究中，能动性参与的构建却很少受到关注。本研究借鉴自决理论，旨在确定教师自主支持与代理参与之间的关系，并探讨个人最佳目标是否能调节这种关联。为此，使用横断面设计，分析了马来西亚北部 536 名大学生的数据。使用结构方程模型评估结构之间的关联。实证结果表明，学生对教师自主支持的看法与个人最佳目标和代理参与有关。此外，研究结果表明，个人最佳目标显着调解教师自主支持和代理参与之间的关系。这些发现强调了个人最佳目标作为一种机制的关键作用，通过这种机制，自主支持的教学方式可以促进学生在学习活动中的能动性。