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Teacher Psychological Needs, Locus of Control and Engagement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2013

Fernando Doménech Betoret
Fernando Doménech Betoret*
Affiliation:
Universitat Jaume I (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Fernando Doménech Betoret. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social i Metodología. Universitat Jaume I. Campus Riu Sec. 12071 Castellón (Spain) Phone: +34-964729550. Fax: +34-964729262. E-mail: betoret@psi.uji.es
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Abstract

This study examines the relationships among psychological needs, locus of control and engagement in a sample of 282 Spanish secondary school teachers. Nine teacher needs were identified based on the study of Bess (1977) and on the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000, 2002). Self-report questionnaires were used to measure the construct selected for this study and their interrelationships were examined by conducting hierarchical regression analyses. An analysis of teacher responses using hierarchical regression reveals that psychological needs have significant positive effects on the three engagement dimensions (vigor, dedication and absorption). Furthermore, the results show the moderator role played by locus of control in the relationship between teacher psychological needs and the so-called core of engagement (vigor and dedication). Finally, practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

teacher needslocus of controlengagementsecondary school teachers
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 16 , 2013 , E29
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2013 

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