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Opening minds by supporting needs: do autonomy and competence support facilitate mindfulness and academic performance?

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Abstract

In a pair of studies, the present research examined mindfulness as a mediator through which perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence facilitate adaptive outcomes in a university classroom setting. In Study 1 (N = 199), dispositional mindfulness mediated the relation between perceived support for autonomy and competence in daily life and generalized test anxiety in college students. In Study 2 (N = 328), perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted higher test performance and instructor evaluations among college students. Notably, perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted increased state mindfulness minutes before a final exam, which in turn was associated with less test anxiety and better test performance, even after controlling for past academic achievement. In summary, instructor support of students’ basic needs for autonomy and competence in the classroom context predicted heightened states of mindful awareness prior to a final exam, which explained improvements in academic performance among students. This research represents a first step toward identifying situational factors that facilitate mindful awareness in academic contexts.

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This study was did not receive funding from any intramural or extramural source.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 5 E. McConnell Dr, PO Box 15106, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA

    Robert J. Goodman

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Utah, 30 N. 1900 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA

    Stephen K. Trapp

  3. Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, 2224 Au Sable Hall, Allendale, MI, 49401-9403, USA

    Ernest S. Park

  4. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842018, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA

    Jody L. Davis

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Correspondence to Robert J. Goodman.

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Goodman, R.J., Trapp, S.K., Park, E.S. et al. Opening minds by supporting needs: do autonomy and competence support facilitate mindfulness and academic performance?. Soc Psychol Educ 24, 119–142 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09577-9

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