Piano teachers believe that dropping out before reaching a moderate mastery of the piano is a common problem among students. This study uses Self-Determination Theory to examine three issues related to the high dropout rate from private piano lessons: whether there are predictors associated with dropout, whether low levels of motivation correlate with dropping out, and the primary reasons invoked for stopping lessons. Using the Survey of Musical Interests, 55 former piano students who quit lessons completed a questionnaire with Likert-scale, multiple choice, and open-ended questions, and their parents also filled out a complementary questionnaire. These participants were compared to 153 students and parents who were still involved with piano lessons. Results showed important predictor differences in parental backgrounds, musical ability, and practice habits, and significant differences between the groups’ autonomous motivation. The main reasons invoked for stopping lessons included lack of practice, preferring other instruments, and loss of interest.

Based in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the overall objective of this thesis was to explore how the coaching context, coach psychological needs, and coach motivation influenced coaches’ interpersonal behaviours when they interacted with their athletes, and how these interpersonal behaviours impacted athletes’ psychological needs and motivation in sport. This objective was achieved through a series of 10 studies, looking at different samples of coaches and athletes, divided into four manuscripts. First, there was a need to create a measure that captured both perceptions of others’, as well as self-reports of the six interpersonal behaviours according to SDT (autonomy-support, competence-support, relatedness-support, autonomy-thwarting, competence-thwarting, and relatedness-thwarting). As such, in Manuscript #1, the Interpersonal Behaviours Questionnaire (IBQ) was created and validated as a general measure of perceptions of other people’s interpersonal behaviours (Study 1 N = 534 students; Study 2 N = 351 students) and as a self-report of interpersonal behaviours used in general (Study 3 N = 607 students). In Manuscript #2, the validity of the measure was extended to include the sport context by testing the scale with coaches and athletes. Specifically, Study 1 (N = 239 athletes) validated the measure with a sample of athletes reporting on their coaches’ behaviours, and Study 2 (N = 240 coaches) looked at coaches’ reports of their own behaviours in their interactions with their athletes. Overall, the results of these five studies provided support for the factor structure and validity of the IBQ as a measure of perceived and self-reported interpersonal behaviours in both the general context, as well as sport. Next, Manuscript #3 explored the antecedents of coaches’ reported interpersonal behaviours. Specifically, Study 1 (N = 56 coaches) looked at the coaching context in order to identify the factors that had the largest impact on coaches’ experiences. In Study 2 (N = 310 coaches), the relationship between coaches’ psychological needs, motivation for coaching, and interpersonal behaviours was explored to confirm the sequence occurred as would be expected according to SDT. Finally, in Study 3 (N = 225 coaches), the influence of the contextual factors on coaches’ psychological needs, motivation, and interpersonal behaviours was examined. Overall, the results supported that coaches in a supportive context experienced increased need satisfaction, higher autonomous motivation for coaching, and were more likely to engage in supportive interpersonal behaviours with their athletes; while coaches in a thwarting context experienced increased need frustration, higher controlled motivation, and were more likely to engage in thwarting interpersonal behaviours. Finally, Manuscript #4 explored the outcomes of coaches’ interpersonal behaviours. First, Study 1 (N = 180 athletes) looked at athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ behaviours and how their perceptions impacted psychological needs and motivation in sport. Lastly, Study 2 (N = 278 athletes; N = 53 coaches) explored whether coaches’ self-reports of their interpersonal behaviours were in line with their athletes’ same perceptions of these behaviours, and explored the factors that were related to whether coaches and athletes were in agreement. These last two studies found that supportive interpersonal behaviours promoted need satisfaction and autonomous motivation for athletes; while thwarting interpersonal behaviours promoted need frustration and controlled motivation for athletes. Overall, this thesis helped extend the existing research in motivational psychology and helped address some important limitations.

Despite good intentions, people often encounter challenges and obstacles in pursuit of their goals. The types of difficulties people experience each day have been well-documented (e.g., desires and temptations, resource depletion, social influences). However, despite these difficulties, some people are still able to attain their goals. Research on self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) suggests that relative autonomous motivation (RAM) may explain inter-individual (and intra-individual) differences in effort and persistence when self-regulation is difficult (e.g., Ntoumanis et al., 2014). In two manuscripts, a series of daily diary designs are used to examine the role of motivation when self-regulation is difficult. The first focuses on the role of RAM during goal striving in a healthy eating across each day (Study 1) and during lunches (Study 2). These studies provide some evidence that students with higher (vs. lower) RAM are more likely to attain more difficult healthy eating goals, which may be due to perceiving fewer obstacles in pursuit of these goals, or through the use of more effective (i.e., approach-based) strategies. Then, the second manuscript involves undergraduate students enrolled in online (Study 1) and in-person classes (Study 2) during the Covid-19 pandemic, and focuses on how their situational motivation to do schoolwork may be impacted when they experience motivational interference. Mixed findings emerged regarding the impact of motivational interference on students’ situational motivation but further evidence highlighted the protective effects of RAM when interference occurred. Taken together, these manuscripts contribute to a growing body of research on the study of self-regulation in daily life and on the role of RAM when difficulties arise. / Graduate / 2022-12-14

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka effekter möteskulturen i traditionell projektmiljö har på motivation hos mötesdeltagarna. Möteskultur i traditionella projekt kan vara ostrukturerad eftersom det är upp till varje enskild projektledare att sätta upp riktlinjer för hur möten ska genomföras. Den empiriska undersökningen i form av kvalitativa intervjuer utfördes på Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI, och deltagarnas upplevda motivation analyserades utifrån Self Determination Theory. Intervjuresultat visade på en demotiverande upplevelse i flera situationer, både kring möteskulturen och i hur mötesinnehållet hanteras. Författarna fann att motivationen påverkades av agenda och syftet med mötet, närvaro, mötestider, mötesformen samt feedback. Resultatet visade att den undersökta möteskulturen var ostrukturerad vilket ledde till en uppkomst av en submöteskultur med fler mindre informella möten som i sin tur leder till en upplevelse av att arbetsflödet bryts och de intervjuade kände sig mer stressade och mindre produktiva. Eftersom agil projektledningsmetodik brukar framhållas motiverande ur flera aspekter för författarna en diskussion om hur införandet av agila möten kan vara främjande för motivationen i traditionella projektmiljöer. / The purpose of this study was to examine the effects the meeting culture in traditional projects has on the participants’ motivation. The meeting culture in traditional projects can differ in effectiveness since it is dependant on the project manager to arrange, hold and follow up the meeting. The empiric study was conducted in the form of qualitative interviews at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, and the motivation experienced by participants' was analysed by Self Determination Theory. The results from the interviews showed a demotivating experience in several situations, both regarding the meeting culture and how the meeting content was handled. The authors found that the motivation was affected by the agenda and purpose of the meeting, the attendence, time and form of the meeting and feedback. The results revealed that the examined meeting culture was unstructured which led to an emerging sub-meeting culture of an increasing number of smaller informal meetings. This in turn led to an experience of the work flow being disturbed and the interviewees feeling more stressed and less productive. Since agile project methodology is often regarded as motivating from several aspects, the authors conducted a discussion on how the implementation of agile meetings can be conducive to motivation in traditional project environments.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka inre arbetsmotivation och arbetstillfredsställelse genom att se vilket motivationsbehov och vilken typ av arbetstillfredsställelse som skattades högst. Syftet var även att undersöka vilka motivationsbehov som bäst predicerar inre och yttre arbetstillfredsställelse. Studien genomfördes inom äldreomsorgenen i en mindre kommun i Sverige. 80 personer deltog i studien som genomfördes som en enkätundersökning. Mätinstrumenten som användes var Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) och Basic Need of Satisfaction at work Scale (BNS). MSQ mätte inre och yttre arbetstillfredsställelse medan BNS mätte inre arbetsmotivation med utgångspunkt från Self-Determination Theory och de tre komponenterna autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet. Resultatet visade att samhörighet var det behov som skattades högst och det fanns en signifikant skillnad till autonomi och kompetens. Inre arbetstillfredsställelse skattades högre än yttre arbetstillfredsställelse och autonomi och kompetens predicerade inre arbetstillfredsställelse medan kompetens predicerade yttre arbetstillfredsställelse. / The purpose of the study was to examine intrinsic work motivation and work satisfaction by seeing which basic motivation need and which type of work satisfaction that was highest estimated. The purpose was also to examine which basic motivation needs that were the predictors to internal and external work satisfaction. The study was conducted among employees in nursing homes. 80 nurses participated and the study was conducted as a survey. The instrument used in the study was Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and Basic Need of Satisfaction at work Scale (BNS). MSQ measured internal and external work satisfaction while BNS measured intrinsic work motivation based on Self Determination-Theory and the three components autonomy, competence and relatedness. The results showed that relatedness was highest estimated and that there was a significant difference to autonomy and competence. Internal work satisfaction was rated higher than external work satisfaction and autonomy and competence was the predictors of internal work satisfaction while competence predicted external work satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between self-determination theory and its three basic needs: competence, autonomy and relatedness, and commitment to change in an organizational change. Another purpose was to examine if the quality of the communication and the effects on the organization and way to work can predict commitment to change. Considering that organizational changes is very common today there is an interest to ease and improve the change process. The survey contained the scales Commitment to change scale and Basic need satisfaction at work scale and the participants were 39 office-workers who recently had gone through an organizational change. The result indicated that it’s possible to predict commitment to change from self-determination theory, communication and effects on organization and way to work. The predictor variables explained 65 % of the variance. The factors competence, autonomy and communication contributed. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det fanns något samband mellan self-determination theory och dess tre grundläggande behov av kompetens, autonomi och samhörighet, och förändringsengagemang vid en organisationsförändring. Ytterligare ett syfte var att undersöka om kvaliteten på kommunikationen samt upplevd inverkan på organisationen och påverkan på det egna arbetet bidrog till prediktionsförmågan. Med tanke på att organisationsförändringar idag är en mycket vanlig företeelse finns det ett intresse i att underlätta och förbättra förändringsprocessen. Undersökningen genomfördes i form av en enkätstudie på 39 tjänstemän på en avdelning som hade genomgått en organisationsförändring. Enkäten bestod av skalorna Commitment to change scale och Basic need satisfaction at work scale. Resultatet visade att det är möjligt att predicera förändringsengagemang utifrån self-determination theory tillsammans med kommunikation, påverkan på organisationen och inverkan på arbetssättet och prediktorvariablerna förklarade 65 % av variansen. Faktorerna kompetens, autonomi och kommunikation var de faktorer som bidrog.

Tidigare forskning visar på problematiken beträffande elevers motivation i skolan. Problematiken som framgår är att fler elever är omotiverade till att delta i matematik samt idrott och hälsa än för några år sedan. Tidigare forskning lyfter även fram vikten av att det är lärarnas främsta ansvar att motivera eleverna i skolan. Tidigare forskning lyfter fram att motivation påverkar elevernas delaktighet i undervisningen. Syftet med studien är att skaffa bredare förståelse för vilka strategier lärare använder för att skapa yttre motivation i ämnet matematik samt idrott och hälsa. För att besvara syftet och forskningsfrågorna har observationer, ostrukturerade intervjuer, fältanteckningar och ljudinspelning används som datainsamlingsmetod. Tre metodfrågor har även det varit till hjälp för att besvara studiens forskningsfrågor. Det teoretiska ramverket som använts i studien är Self-determination theory. Det genomfördes ett urval av det insamlade materialet där den yttre motivationen kunde identifieras. Analysen visade på att alla typer av yttre motivation (external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation) användes i undervisningen. Analysavsnittet visade även på att lärarna använde strategierna i olika hög grad i respektive ämne. Det innebar att den yttre motivationen kunde identifieras mer under idrottslektionerna än på matematiklektionerna. Likheter och skillnader mellan matematikundervisningen och idrottsundervisningen har även identifierats beträffande de olika typerna av yttre motivation. / The first part of this review is regarding the lack of motivation amongst pupils in school. Bottom line in this review is about how motivation has an influence in the participation in the pupil’s education. Pervious research shows that motivation affects the participation in education. Previous research also showed that teachers have a responsibility to motivate pupils in school. The pupil’s motivation in education has a big influence of the participation in class. The purpose is to investigate which strategies teachers use to motivate pupils in mathematics and physical education. The review used the methods observations, structured interviews, notes and sound recording to answer the purpose and research questions. Self-determination theory has used a framework in the review. A selection has been done, from the collected material, which proved to be external motivation. The analyse shows that every type of external motivation was visible (external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation) in education. The analyse section in the review, shows that teachers predomenantly, used motivation in different ways. External motivation been visibility the most in physical education class, than in lecture in math. The results have proved that all the types of external motivation were visible.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur millennials inom servicebranschen upplever att ledarskap har betydelse för arbetsmotivationen. Vi vill med vår forskning förmedla vad som kan vara lönsamt för ledare att ha kunskap om gällande arbetsmotivation för att minska personalomsättning i organisationer. Studien utgår ifrån motivationsteorin Self Determination Theory och ledarskapsstilarna demokratisk-, auktoritärt och Laissez-faire ledarskap. Studien har baserats på nio intervjuer. För att analysera materialet har en tematisk analysmetod tillämpats och studien har haft en deduktiv utgångspunkt.  Studiens resultat visade att ledare har en positiv betydelse för arbetsmotivationen genom att vara synliga, lyhörda, stöttade och uppmärksamma. Motivationen främjas genom att först uppfylla de inre motivationsfaktorerna för att sedan förstärkas med hjälp av yttre motivationsfaktorer. Ledarens negativa betydelse för arbetsmotivationen uppstår främst när det inte längre finns någon möjlighet till utveckling på arbetsplatsen. Den fördragna ledarskapsstilen är ett demokratiskt ledarskap. / The purpose of this study was to examine how millennials within the service industry experience leadership and its significance on workplace motivation and engagement. With our research we will share knowledge that has shown beneficial for leaders to apply regarding their employee’s drive to work, thus lowering turnover of personnel for the organization. The study takes its starting point from the motivational theory Self Determination Theory and the different leadership styles: democratic, authoritative, and Laissez-faire leadership. This study is based on nine separate interviews. To analyze the material, a thematic analysis method has been applied and the with a deductive starting point.  The results show that leaders have a positive impact on employees’ willingness and drive to work by being visible, supportive, and attentive. The motivation firstly stems from an inner self-motivational drive, and later gets enforced from outer motivational factors. A leader’s negative impact on employees drive to work arises when there no longer is a possibility for growth within the organization. The preferred method of leadership was the democratic style leadership.

Sedentary behavior has been shown to lead to overweight and obesity, which are risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular heart diseases (CHD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two constructs have been used to attempt to enhance motivation in order to promote long-term physical activity behavior change: self-efficacy (from Self-Efficacy Theory) and competence (from Self-Determination Theory). Though these constructs are from two different theories and purportedly measure two different concepts, they have been used interchangeably in physical activity research. This project examined similarities and differences in the theoretical explanations of self-efficacy and competence. Participants were college students ages 18 to 53 (n = 194, 65.8% female) who were randomized to one of two intervention groups (competence vs. self-efficacy) or an attention control group, with an overall attrition rate of 0.6%. Repeated measures ANCOVAs controlling for strenuous exercise and BMI showed no within groups or between-groups differences in competence or self-efficacy. Measures of competence and self-efficacy were strongly correlated (r = .74). Further inspection showed both measures were tapping into a third variable: confidence. Additionally complicating the findings is documented evidence of college students over-reporting high confidence levels. Recommendations include incorporating items measuring growing mastery into competence scales and examining this same question for older sedentary adults.