The Advisor and Instructor as a Dynamic Duo: Academic Motivation and Basic Psychological Needs

Abstract

Students learn in and out of a formal classroom, and instructors and academic advisors play key roles in academic motivation and learning. Therefore, through the lens of self-determination theory, we examined the ways perceived support from instructors and advisors relates to satisfaction of college students' basic psychological needs. Advisor and instructor support correlated with satisfaction of student needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Also, as hypothesized, instructor and advisor support predicted satisfaction of basic needs, but did so differently. Instructors and academic advisors create a dynamic duo that significantly contributes to satisfaction of basic psychological needs underlying motivation and achievement.