Teachers as Facilitators: What Autonomy‐Supportive Teachers Do and Why Their Students Benefit

TLDR

Student engagement fluctuates between proactive and passive, and self‑determination theory suggests that classroom conditions can support or frustrate students’ intrinsic motivational resources. The article argues that the supportive quality of the classroom climate partly determines students’ engagement. Teachers nurture students’ intrinsic resources by adopting an autonomy‑supportive motivating style. The study shows that teachers can learn to be more autonomy supportive, that high levels of both autonomy support and structure maximize engagement, and that such a style is essential for a high‑quality teacher‑student relationship.

Abstract

Students are sometimes proactive and engaged in classroom learning activities, but they are also sometimes only reactive and passive. Recognizing this, in this article I argue that students’ classroom engagement depends, in part, on the supportive quality of the classroom climate in which they learn. According to the dialectical framework within self‐determination theory, students possess inner motivational resources that classroom conditions can support or frustrate. When teachers find ways to nurture these inner resources, they adopt an autonomy‐supportive motivating style. After articulating what autonomy‐supportive teachers say and do during instruction, I discuss 3 points: teachers can learn how to be more autonomy supportive toward students; teachers most engage students when they offer high levels of both autonomy support and structure; and an autonomy‐supportive motivating style is an important element to a high‐quality teacher‐student relationship.