A Study of the Influence of School Support Systems on Primary School Students’ Learning Motivation Based on Self-Determination Theory

Abstract

Learning motivation plays a critical role in shaping students’ academic development, yet many primary school students exhibit declining motivation due to insufficient support from their school environment. To address this issue, this study examined the influence of school support systems on the learning motivation of primary school students in Jiangsu Province, China. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, the study focused on four forms of school support: teacher autonomy support, teacher emotional support, school resource support, and peer learning support.
The research aimed to investigate the extent to which these support dimensions predict students’ learning motivation. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected from 278 primary school students using a structured online questionnaire. The measurement instrument demonstrated strong reliability and validity, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling.
The findings revealed that all four forms of support had significant and positive effects on learning motivation. Teacher autonomy support and teacher emotional support were the strongest predictors, indicating the crucial role of teacher behaviors in fostering students’ motivational development. School resource support and peer learning support also contributed meaningfully to learning motivation. Overall, the four predictors explained 63% of the variance in learning motivation, demonstrating strong explanatory power. These results highlight the importance of creating supportive school environments to enhance learning motivation among primary school students.

Keywords: teacher autonomy support, teacher emotional support, school resource support, peer learning support, learning motivation