Predicting the Subjective Experience of Intrinsic Motivation: The Roles of Self-Determination,the Balance of Challenges and Skills,and Self-Realization Values
Restricted accessOtherFirst published online November, 2003
Predicting the Subjective Experience of Intrinsic Motivation: The Roles of Self-Determination,the Balance of Challenges and Skills,and Self-Realization Values
A series of studies was conducted to investigate the contributions of self-determination, perceived competence, and self-realization values to the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation. Using varying sets of instructions in these studies, college undergraduates generated and subsequently evaluated panels of identity-related activities. Three measures of the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation were used as outcome variables: (a) interest, (b) flow experiences, and (c) feelings of personal expressive-ness. These subjective experience measures were strongly intercorrelated. Across studies, self-determination was found to be strongly associated with all of the subjective experience measures. In contrast, self-realization values made larger contributions to flow experiences and to personal expressiveness than to interest. Perceived competence, although significantly correlated with all subjective experience measures, played a considerably smaller role in the prediction of intrinsic motivation.
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