A Novel Approach to Looking at the Role of Autonomy Support in the Development of Passion in Education

Abstract

The current research demonstrates a novel approach to investigating the role ofperceived teacher and parental autonomy support in college students’ ( N = 970 with376 males, 594 females) passion for science. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passionwhich posits the existence of a harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion, weadopted a 2 x 2 model (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) to test if low and high levels ofperceived parental and teacher autonomy support were differentially associated withstudents’ harmonious and obsessive passion. First, students' perceptions of high levels of both teacher and parental autonomy support rendered the highest means in HP and OP. Second, students who demonstrated high levels of only teacher autonomy support also displayed high levels of HP and OP. Third, OP levels were lowest when teacher autonomy support was low, while those from parents were high. Finally, perceived low support from both parents and teachers was not as ideal as having only support from parents to keep OP at the lowest levels. In sum, the results demonstrate the benefits of having both forms of autonomy support and highlight the outcomes associated with single-sided or low support. Practical implications highlight the importance of considering sources outside of students’ immediate learning environment when designing interventions based on autonomy support.