BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AS SOURCES OF ACADEMIC MOTIVATION FOR STUDYING ANATOMY
BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AS SOURCES OF ACADEMIC MOTIVATION FOR STUDYING ANATOMY

Summary/Abstract: According to the Self-Determination Theory, basic psychological needs are the basis of motivation and personal growth. Since little is known about how these mechanisms function in the studying of anatomy, a subject in the study of medicine that serves as a cornerstone for the successful practice of virtually any medical profession, the aim of this research was to determine the role of basic psychological needs in attaining academic motivation in this context. This study has been carried out on a sample of 197 first year medical students (73% female participants, ages 18 to 25). Five multiple hierarchical regression analyses were performed in which the predictor variables in the first model were satisfaction of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, the frustrations of these needs were placed in the second model, and the criterion variables were various forms of academic motivation to study anatomy: intrinsic motivation, identified motivation, introjected motivation, external motivation and amotivation. Obtained results indicated that the basic psychological need for autonomy had significance in predicting variance of most types of motivation, while the need for competence played a role only in controlled types of motivation, whereas any significance of the need for relatedness in studying anatomy was indicated. The results were discussed in the context of other relevant studies and the methods by which the optimal types of motivation may be further enhanced in the study of anatomy are considered.

• Details
• Contents