Perceived need-supportive leadership, perceived need-supportive teaching, and student engagement: A self-determination perspective

Self-determination theory emphasizes the crucial role of need-supportive teaching in facilitating student motivation and engagement. However, much of the research on need-supportive teaching focuses on its effects on students. An equally important but less explored topic is what facilitates teachers’ need-supportive teaching. This two-part cross-sectional study examined the associations between perceived need-supportive leadership, teacher autonomous motivation, and need-supportive teaching (Study 1) and the association between perceived need-supportive teaching, student autonomous motivation, and student engagement (Study 2). The participants were 581 teachers and 2283 students from 14 high schools in the Philippines. Study 1 findings indicated that perceived need-supportive leadership had a positive indirect association with need-supportive teaching via autonomous motivation. Study 2 results suggested that perceived need-supportive teaching positively and significantly predicted student engagement partially via students’ autonomous motivation. The positive associations found across the two studies demonstrate the importance of perceived need-supportive leadership for teachers and perceived need-supportive teaching for students. Implications for school leaders and teachers regarding need supportive practices are discussed. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.