The role of students’ perceived teacher support in student motivation: A longitudinal study of student motivation profiles

Abstract

Crucial to understanding student motivation are different student characteristics such as academic self-concept or utility value, with previous research showing different patterns of these characteristics⸺motivation profiles⸺that can change over time. This study aimed to identify student motivation profiles and investigate changes between profiles using random intercept latent transition analysis during Grade 7 to 9. We included sub-dimensions of students’ perceived teacher support (perceived autonomy support, learning support, instructional design, teacher error management) to examine how they might be associated with changes between motivation profiles. Results revealed three motivation profiles with high stability over time. Moreover, students’ perceived teacher support predicted changes between motivation profiles. These findings may help address the specific needs of students and emphasize the role of teachers for students’ motivation development.