CONCLUSIONS
We have briefly presented self-determination theory in order to make the
critical distinction between behaviors that are volitional and accompanied
by the experience of freedom and autonomy—those that emanate from one’s
sense of self—and those that are accompanied by the experience of pressure
and control and are not representative of one’s self. Intrinsically motivated
behaviors, which are performed out of interest and satisfy the innate psychological
needs for competence and autonomy are the prototype of self-determined
behavior. Extrinsically motivated behaviors—those that are executed
because they are instrumental to some separable consequence—can vary in
the extent to which they represent self-determination. Internalization and integration
are the processes through which extrinsically motivated behaviors
become more self-determined.
We reviewed studies that have specified the social contextual conditions
that support intrinsic motivation and facilitate internalization and integration
of extrinsically motivated tasks. The studies have been interpreted in terms of the basic psychological needs. That is, we saw that social contextual conditions that support one’s feelings of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are the basis for one maintaining intrinsic motivation and becoming more self-determined with respect to extrinsic motivation. We pointed out that in schools, the facilitation of more self-determined learning requires classroom conditions that allow satisfaction of these three basic human needs—that is that support the innate needs to feel connected, effective, and agentic as one is exposed to new ideas and exercises new skills.