Examining the cross-cultural generalizability of the self-determination theory

Abstract

Self-determination theory (SDT) emphasizes the importance of three basic psychological needs, namely: autonomy, competence, and relatedness, in facilitating achievement. However, some cross-cultural researchers question whether SDT can be generalized to non-Western cultures. The present study intends to examine whether teachers' provision of autonomy-and competence-support as well as students' sense of relatedness with their teachers would predict achievement across both Western and Eastern cultures. Moreover, we also test the invariance of the associations among the variables across students of different achievement levels. We analyzed the data from a subsample of students from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) (N = 92,325 students from 11 countries/regions) using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) and multi-group structural equation modeling (MG-SEM). Results showed that teacher provision of autonomy-and competence-support as well as students' sense of relatedness were positively associated with achievement across cultures, thus providing support for the generalizability of SDT. However, when students were grouped according to achievement level, the relationships between the three basic needs and achievement held for students from Western but not from Easter cultures. Whereas the associations of achievement with autonomy and competence were less robust for students from the East, relatedness seemed to be of paramount importance. These findings support the cross-cultural relevance of SDT while at the same time highlighting the important cultural variations such as the primacy of relatedness over autonomy and competence in Eastern contexts.