Investigating configurations of classroom need supportive teaching practices and their contribution to student behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement [symposium canceled]

Background. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 2000), this study contrasts three hypotheses to determine the best configuration of the teacher need-supporting practices of autonomy support, structure, and involvement in terms of supporting student behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Research hypotheses. The additive hypothesis (H1; e.g., Skinner & Belmont, 1993) anticipates that all three practices will be significantly associated with student engagement when jointly considered. The synergistic hypothesis (H2; e.g., Vansteenkiste et al., 2012) predicts that the greatest benefits will emerge in classrooms characterized by a high level of two or three of these practices. The balanced hypothesis (H3; e.g., Zimmer-Gembeck et al., 2006) anticipates that the equilibrium between the three practices composing need-supportive teaching—captured by a global factor—will provide optimal support to student engagement. Methods. Multilevel analyses were conducted among a sample of 1,193 8th grade Belgian students nested in 57 math classrooms and accounted for prior engagement and confounders in 7th grade. Findings. Results failed to support H1 by showing that not all three practices had an additive contribution to the three dimensions of engagement. Results also failed to support the synergistic hypothesis (H2) by demonstrating that interactions among the practices did not further explain student engagement. Finally, results support H3 in showing that a global factor representing balanced need-supportive teaching had a contribution to the three dimensions of student engagement, whereas specific factors representing the imbalance in autonomy support, structure, and involvement did not further contribute to this prediction. Implications. These results suggest that using a balanced amount of the three practices is preferable over using a high amount of only one or two practices, probably because balanced need-supportive teaching is better aligned with students’ motivational needs