Teacher Autonomous Motivation and Academic Satisfaction : Indirect Effects Through Self-efficacy and Autonomy Support in Chilean University Students

Abstract

Introduction. Teacher motivation is a fundamental factor in the development of learning. Although many studies research its direct effects, fewer studies analyze its indirect effects through multilevel designs. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate the indirect effect of teacher autonomous motivation on the academic satisfaction of Chilean university students. Method. At the individual level, 708 Chilean university students participated. 59.2% of the students were female (n = 419) and 40.8% were male (n = 289). At the group level, 30 teachers participated, of which 56.7% were female (n = 17) and 43.3% were male (n = 13). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multilevel mediation analysis. Results. The results support the indirect effect of teacher-autonomous motivation on the academic satisfaction of Chilean university students. In this regard, the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and the perception of autonomy support constitutes a fundamental psychological mechanism to boost the effect of teacher autonomous motivation. Discussion and Conclusion. The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy and perceived autonomy support by students in the relationship between teacher autonomous motivation and academic satisfaction is discussed. It is concluded that teacher-level variables mainly explain the variation in academic satisfaction of university students.