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Cited by 183Motivation and Self-Concept in SportsEducation during COVID-19 pandemicPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Higher Education in Times of COVID-19: University Students’ Basic Need Satisfaction, Self-Regulated Learning, and Well-Being

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Holzer, Julia, Lüftenegger, Marko, Korlat, Selma, Pelikan, Elisabeth, Salmela-Aro, Katariina, Spiel, Christiane, Schober, Barbara·2021·AERA Open
DOI 10.1177/23328584211003164PMC PMC7961159
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Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, university students have experienced fundamental changes of their learning and their lives as a whole. The present research identifies psychological characteristics associated with students’ well-being in this situation. We investigated relations of basic psychological need satisfaction (experienced competence, autonomy, and relatedness) with positive emotion and intrinsic learning motivation, considering self-regulated learning as a moderator. Self-reports were collected from 6,071 students in Austria (Study 1) and 1,653 students in Finland (Study 2). Structural equation modeling revealed competence as the strongest predictor for positive emotion. Intrinsic learning motivation was predicted by competence and autonomy in both countries and by relatedness in Finland. Moderation effects of self-regulated learning were inconsistent, but main effects on intrinsic learning motivation were identified. Surprisingly, relatedness exerted only a minor effect on positive emotion. The results inform strategies to promote students’ well-being through distance learning, mitigating the negative effects of the situation.

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated the transformation of online and blended learning models.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated the transformation of online and blended learning models”

    From Mapping the Research Landscape: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Self-Determination Theory in Higher Education (2024) · cites this paper as [27]

    The section “Distance Education and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Times of COVID-19” says the pandemic prompted universities to move rapidly from face-to-face classes to online learning systems. That supports the online-learning part of the claim, but the passage does not establish a transformation of blended learning models. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Global education shifted to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “with global education shifting to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic [27], [28].”

    From Mapping the Research Landscape: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Self-Determination Theory in Higher Education (2024) · cites this paper as [27]

    The section “Distance Education and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Times of COVID-19” says universities worldwide rapidly moved face-to-face classes to online learning systems. That supports a global shift in higher education, but the claim’s broader wording, “global education,” extends beyond the university setting the passage describes. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Holzer, J., Lüftenegger, M., Korlat, S., Pelikan, E., Salmela-Aro, K., Spiel, C., & Schober, B.
Affiliations
  • University of Vienna (AT)
  • University of Helsinki
Corresponding author
Holzer, Julia
ORCID
Venue
AERA Open
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2021-01
Volume
7
Pages
23328584211003164-23328584211003164
ISSN
2332-8584 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/23328584211003164
PMC
PMC7961159
OpenAlex
W3136203733
Cited by
183
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 22
FWCI
39.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • AERA Open (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Academy of Finland (1308351)
  • Vienna Science and Technology Fund (COV20-025)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education during COVID-19 pandemic
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, university students, basic psychological needs, self-determination theory, student self-regulation, student well-being, positive emotions, intrinsic learning motivation, competence, autonomy, relatedness, distance education

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