A meta-analysis of teacher autonomy support and control

A meta-analysis of 184 correlational studies and 25 experimental studies examined the relationships between teacher autonomy support and student academic and psychosocial outcomes. The results indicated that 1) teacher autonomy support was positively associated with desirable student academic and psychological outcomes (e.g., autonomous motivation, autonomy, and academic performance), 2) teacher control was negatively associated with desirable student outcomes, and 3) teacher autonomy support interventions enhanced desirable student outcomes. Moderator tests revealed several factors that explained the variation in teacher autonomy support relationships for certain outcomes. 1) The relationships of teacher autonomy support with students’ optimal outcomes were stronger when teacher autonomy support included multiple dimensions than when it included a single dimension. 2) The relationships of teacher autonomy support with students’ optimal outcomes were stronger for middle school students than for high school and college students. 3) The relationships of teacher control with students’ optimal outcomes were also stronger for middle school students than for students from other grade levels. 4) The teacher autonomy support correlations with proximal outcomes (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) were stronger than those with distal outcomes (i.e., engagement and academic performance). Implications for theory and future research were discussed.Educational Psycholog