Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education

Patrick Whitehead is associate professor of psychology and coordinator of general education at Albany State University, where he was named 2019 scholar of the year. He has published six books including Psychologizing: A Personal, Practice-based Approach to Psychology and dozens of articles in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and higher education. He lives on a farm in Albany, Georgia, USA with his wife, Erica.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Not a Vignette

A Revolution in My Teaching Spirit

AST Will Work for You and Your Students

Three Potential Hurdles: Mistaken Beliefs that Interfere with Professional Development



Mistaken Belief 1: It’s the Students’ Fault
Mistaken Belief 2: Teachers Cannot Change
Mistaken Belief 3: Controlling Teachers Are the Best Teachers

Relation to Other Psychologies of Student Motivation



Grit: Passion and Determination with Angela Duckworth and Cal Newport
Fixed and Growth Mindsets with Carol Dweck
Why We Learn the Ways that We Learn, with Josh Eyler

Structure of this Book

Part I: Theory

Chapter 1: Self-Determination Theory

A Brief History of the Psychology of Student Motivation

Self Determination Theory and the Three Basic Psychological Needs



Autonomy
Competence
Relatedness
Supporting Basic Psychological Needs
Why the Students Wouldn’t Read Macbeth

The Many Forms of Extrinsic Motivation



Continuum of Extrinsic Motivation

Internalization and the Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors



No Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors
External Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors

Externalized Regulation
Introjected Regulation


Internalized Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors

Identified Regulation
Integrated Regulation


Intrinsic Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors

Chapter 2: Autonomy Supportive Teaching

Vignette 1, Where Online Students Missed the First Deadline

Vignette 2, The One with Lethargic Graduate Students

Autonomy Supportive Teaching

Seven Strategies for Supporting Student Autonomy



Strategy 1: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Adopt their Students’ Perspective

My Experience Taking Students’ Perspective


Strategy 2: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Invite Students to Pursue their Interests

My Experience Inviting Students to Pursue their Interests


Strategy 3: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Present Learning Activities in Need Satisfying Ways

Autonomy
Competence
Relatedness
My Experience Presenting Learning Activities in Need-Satisfying Ways


Strategy 4: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Provide Explanatory Rationale

My Experience Providing Explanatory Rationale


Strategy 5: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Acknowledge Negative Feelings

My Experience Acknowledging Negative Feelings


Strategy 6: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Use Invitational Language

My Experience Using Invitational Language


Strategy 7: Autonomy Supportive Teachers Practice Patience

My Experience Practicing Patience



The Gestalt of Autonomy Supportive Teaching

Chapter 3: Evidence Supporting Autonomy Supportive Teaching in Higher Education

Evidence that AST Works in Higher Education



Physical Education and Other General Education Courses
Remedial Writing Courses
Music and Performing Arts
Psychology and Social Sciences
Sciences and Liberal Arts in South America
Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Engineering, and Exercise Sciences in Europe
Online and Asynchronous Courses
Graduate School
Gender Differences in Highly Specific Cases

Intercultural and International Applicability

Conclusion

Part II: Application

Chapter 4: Self-Determination Theory Workshop

Basic Psychological Needs

Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors

Chapter 5: Assessing Autonomy Supportive Teaching Workshop

A Preliminary Note on the Difference Between Assessment and Evaluation

Situations in School Inventory



Assessing Structure
Assessing Chaos
Assessing Autonomy Support
Assessing Control
Completing the Inventory and Analyzing the Results

Situations in School Inventory



Scoring
Advanced Scoring

Learning Climate Questionnaire

Classroom Observation Checksheet

Chapter 6: Taking Students’ Perspective Workshop

Methods for Getting Student Feedback



Distribute Slips of Paper Asking for Anonymous Suggestions
Hold an Open “Town Hall” Type Forum
Create a Virtual Survey or Poll

When to Avoid Taking Students’ Perspective

Put It into Practice



Homework Activity #1: Distribute Comment Cards
Homework Activity #2: Seek Candid Reviews of Course Content
Homework Activity #3: Invite Students to Comment on Lesson Plan for the Day

Problems to Expect, and How to Deal with Them



Students Have No Feedback to Share
Students Don’t Seem to Be Interested in Their Own Suggestions
Students Have Only Positive Feedback to Share

Chapter 7: Supporting Students’ Intrinsic Motivation Workshop

AST Strategy Two: Invite Students to Pursue Their Interests



Homework: Identify an Aspect of the Course with Which You Are Comfortable Allowing Students to Participate in Choosing

AST Strategy Three: Present Learning Activities in Need-Satisfying Ways



Competence
Relatedness
Put it Into Practice

Homework Activity #1: Stop and Assess Where Your Students Are
Homework Activity #2: Emphasize Relatedness by Encouraging Students to Work Together


Problems to Expect and How to Deal with Them

Students Have a Range of Skill Levels
Students Are Not Interested in Working Together



Chapter 8: Supporting Students’ Internalization Workshop

AST Strategy Four: Provide Explanatory Rationale



Put it into Practice

Homework Activity #1: Explain Why You’re Doing the Next Thing You Will Be Doing
Homework Activity #2: Integrate Rationale into Assignment Instructions
Homework Activity #3: Explore the TiLT Model of Teaching



AST Strategy Five: Acknowledge Negative Feelings



Homework Activity #1: Acknowledge and Accept the Negative Affect of One Student
Homework Activity #2: Use Collective Negative Affect as a Diagnostic Tool
Homework Activity #3: Reflect on the Ideal Emotional Profile of Students

AST Strategy Six: Rely on Invitational Language



Homework Activity #1: Rewrite Activity Instructions Using Invitational Language
Homework Activity #2: Design an Alternative Assignment

AST Strategy Seven: Practice Patience



Homework Activity #1: Adjust the Amount of Time Needed for Completing an Activity
Homework Activity #2: Patient Listening

Part III: Finishing Touches

Chapter 9: Sample Assessment: Using AST in Online Courses

AST in Online Courses: An Understudied Relationship

Design



Control Condition
AST Condition
List of Sample Activities for AST Condition (Human Growth and Development)

Results



Learning Climate Inventory

Discussion

Additional Results

Student Comments about the AST Condition

Discussion of Assessment Results



Mistake Number 1: Expectations Were Unclear
Mistake Number 2: My Understanding of AST Was Limited
Mistake Number 3: I integrated Too Few AST Strategies

Conclusion

Chapter 10: A Case Study of Teacher Transformation

My 2016 Letter to Students



Course “Deliverables”
Desire2Learn
Be Yourself

My 2022 Analysis of the 2016 Letter to Students



The Letter is Long
The Letter is Formatted Using Headings
There is a Block Quote
The Letter is Not Written from the Students’ Perspective
Students Are Expected to Be Guided by Intrinsic Motivation
There is Little Explanatory Rationale
There is No Room for Affect
It’s My Way or the Highway
Selective Patience
It Isn’t All Bad

A Digital Letter Written to an Online Health Psychology Course in 2022



General Observations

Conclusion: Troubleshooting Problems and Looking Ahead

Some Instructors Will Do This Naturally

Anticipating Problems



The Need for Structure
Logistical Problems with Adopting Autonomy Supportive Teaching
Confusion about What the Strategies Entail
Disagreement about the Teachability of Certain Strategies
External Pressures to Be Controlling

A Call for More Research on AST in Higher Education

AST in Large Lecture Halls (Less than 70 students)

Asynchronous Online Courses

Professional and Organizational Development

References

Index

About the Author