High support of students autonomy and academic regulation of students in inclusive education

Abstract

Research in the field of education and motivation whose starting point is the Theory of self-determination, focuses on the problem of autonomous behavior. Studies within this theory prove that autonomously motivated students achieve better results in school. Also, autonomously supported teachers encourage students to achieve better academic achievement. Within the Theory of Self-Determination, motivation, defined as behavioral regulation, is seen through three qualitative types: amotivation, external motivation, and internal motivation. The theory distinguishes several types of external motivation: external regulation, injected or adopted regulation, identified regulation and integrated regulation. The aim of the paper is to determine the quality of academic regulation in students who are educated according to adjusted program, and the connection of intrinsic motivation with the high support for student autonomy. The sample was comprised out of 123 students who attended the class according to the adjusted program. The age of the students was between 8 to 10 and eleven months (M = 9.67; SD = 0.85). In the sample, presence of girls (56 students or 45.53%) was lower in relation to boys (67 students of 54.47%). In the research, two instruments were used: Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Deci, Hodges, Pierson & Tomassone, 1992) and the Problems in Schools Questionnaire (Deci, Schwartz, Sheinman & Ryan, 1981). Results of the research implied dominance of academically identified regulation. Results of the Friedman test showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the results obtained on the tested segments of the first instrument ( 𝜒² (3.n = 123) = 141.328, p lt 0.001). According to the results, the connection of intrinsic motivation and high support for pupils' autonomy has been determined (r = 0.53, n = 123, p lt 0.001). The high support of autonomy by teachers explains 28.1% of the variance of student intrinsic motivation. The research confirms that teachers, in cooperation with special educators, give significant support to the regulation/motivation of students who attended the class according to the adjusted program. Practical implications of this paper are reflected in even greater cooperation between special educators and teachers who teach using IEP1 1 in all segments of the teaching, so that the inclusion process in Serbia would be better and more comprehensive.

Prema Teoriji samoodređenja, nastavnici koji svojim ponašanjem pružaju podršku autonomiji učenika podstiču njihova bolja akademska postignuća. U okviru ove teorije, definiše se akademska regulacija kao sposobnost regulisanja vlastitog ponašanja usmerenog na učenje u školi. Najveći značaj u školskom radu ima intrinzična motivacija, koja predstavlja jedan od tri kvalitativna tipa akademske regulacije. Cilj rada je utvrđivanje kvaliteta akademske regulacije kod učenika koji se obrazuju po prilagođenom programu u okviru inkluzivne nastave, kao i povezanosti intrinzične motivacije sa visokom podrškom učeničkoj autonomiji datom od strane nastavnika razredne nastave. Istraživanje je sprovedeno na uzorku od 123 učenika koji nastavu pohađaju po prilagođenom programu, uzrasta od osam do deset godina i jedanaest meseci. Ravenovim progresivnim matricama potvrđen je niži nivo intelektualnog funkcionisanja učenika iz uzorka koji nastavu pohađaju po prilagođenom programu. Uzorak je činilo i 48 nastavnika razredne nastave. U prikupljanju podataka korišćen je Upitnik akademske samoregulacije i Upitnik problema u školi. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na dominaciju akademske identifikovane regulacije u uzorku učenika. Međusobna povezanost intrinzične motivacije i visoke podrške autonomije učenika je potvrđena. Visoka podrška autonomije od strane nastavnika objašnjava 28,1% varijanse intrinzične motivacije učenika. U radu su razmatrane praktične implikacije sprovedenog istraživanja.