What self-determination theory can do for post-pandemic college students

Think back to your first days of college. How did you feel?

For most first-year and first-generation college students, starting university is a time of great excitement and anticipation. It’s a chance to make friends, explore ideas and diverse perspectives, and perhaps live away from home. This excitement, however, is often accompanied by stressors that challenge students’ psychosocial development. 

The first two years of college are often turbulent, which affects students’ psychological functioning (with increased depression, anxiety and stress), their cognitive-affective well-being (emotional coping skills) and overall social adjustment, according to a 2020 paper by Colleen S. Conley, Jenna B. Shapiro, Alexandra C. Kirsch and Brynn M. Huguenel of Loyola University Chicago. Evidence also suggests that college students today are more stressed, anxious and distracted than ever before. The isolation of the pandemic saw many young people turn to social media platforms and gaming as a way to stay connected to friends and manage stress, anxiety and loneliness. According to the Best Colleges survey of 702 students in 2022:

• 95 per cent had experienced negative mental health symptoms as a result of Covid 19-related circumstances 
• 48 per cent believed the mental health effects had directly affected their education
• 46 per cent reported feeling lonelier and more isolated 
• 40 per cent slept less
• 39 per cent worked out less and ate worse
• 32 per cent experienced feelings of hopelessness.

Faculty are now seeing the impact of the pandemic on students’ engagement, ability to focus, manage their time/responsibilities, follow-through and overall well-being. Some psychologists at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University argue that the pandemic delayed development by about three years, suggesting the typical 18-year-old freshman is more like a 15-year-old. Additionally, the authors argue, we are witnessing an “academic long Covid” that reveals itself in a lack of executive function skills critical to success in college and life. 

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The self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation can help focus our efforts and identify strategies that will support students’ overall development and growth through college. Self-determination refers to a person’s ability to make choices and manage their day-to-day life. All humans have three basic psychological needs – autonomy, competence and relatedness – that are foundational to the development of self-motivation, optimal social functioning and personal well-being (see Figure 1), according to Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci of the University of Rochester. NSSE research from 2022 points out that students’ sense of belonging (that is, relatedness) correlates positively to persistence and success in college.

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So what can faculty do to ease this transition, increase student engagement and help students learn to manage their stress and anxiety? Here, we offer suggestions for supporting the three basic psychological needs identified by Deci and Ryan’s SDT theory.

Relatedness: feeling connected and valued with a sense of belonging

• Be authentic, personable and inspire students: Introduce yourself and explain why you are so passionate about your discipline. What helped you decide your major as an undergraduate? Who and what inspires you? What value does this course content have today and beyond college? 
• Build and maintain an inclusive classroom: Create time and space for students to introduce themselves to you and each other. This might be in class in small groups or in an introductory discussion board in Canvas. Use structured group work, buddy sharing and check-ins to encourage collaboration. If students are struggling, connect them to campus resources, provide students with opportunities to share their experiences and perspectives, and demonstrate that they are heard. Follow through with and respond to their suggestions (for example, conduct a mid-term student feedback survey and use their suggestions). 
• Understand students’ prior knowledge, interests and needs: Consider collecting baseline data via the Canvas quiz tool (ungraded) or a paper survey. To collect anonymous data, you can also use a tool such as Poll Everywhere or Qualtrics. Use this insight to engage students and increase their sense of belonging.

Autonomy: feeling one has choices and control over one’s daily decisions

• Give students a voice: Involve students in writing agreements and policies that will impact the learning experience. At about week four of the term, ask for feedback on how students are experiencing the classroom (via an anonymous survey, for example) and discuss the results with the class. If you cannot make the change(s) requested, give students the rationale for your decision.
• Provide choice in learning experiences and assessment products: Empowering students with choices, especially in learning experiences, is an effective way to support their sense of autonomy, which supports motivation and self-regulation. You can give the option of submitting a paper, presentation, multimedia product or other creative work.
• Consider providing a recording of your lecture: A captured recording or mini-lecture videos can help students who might benefit from viewing the material more than once or at their own pace.

Competence: the experience of mastery and being effective in one’s activity

• Design a highly structured class: Learning environments that are highly structured can reduce the impact of institutionalised inequities, build a sense of belonging and promote student success. More structure is critical for the students with weak executive function skills or those who have not yet developed effective study strategies, metacognition and time management, according to the high structure, active learning teaching strategy.
• Provide frequent no- or low-stakes assessments: Multiple opportunities to practise before a higher-stakes assessment build students’ competence. 
• Reduce cognitive load/logistical rigour: Design a student-friendly course shell with an FAQ section for students, a calendar of due dates and clear directions and grading criteria (such as grading rubric and checklist) to reduce logistical rigour and help students focus on intellectual rigour.

Cathy A. Pohan is executive director and Melissa Samaniego is assistant director and instructional designer, both at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Chapman University. 

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