The Tripartite Model of Students’ Basic Psychological Needs–Relationship with Teachers’ (De)Motivating Styles

According to self-determination theory, students with satisfied psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have higher levels of motivation and achieve better results at school. On the other hand, need frustration is related to negative outcomes. Recently, Reeve et al. (2023) have expanded this dual model of need states into a tripartite model, adding the dormant state of psychological needs within the school context. This study aimed to evaluate the Croatian translation of the Three States Questionnaire (TSQ), focusing on psychological needs and their relationship with students’ perceptions of teachers’ (de)motivating styles. A total of 274 high school students from Croatia participated in an online study conducted during regular school hours. Results generally support the validity of the Croatian version of the TSQ. Its internal structure and reliability are in line with the original, while correlational patterns between need states and correlations with other need states operationaliations speak in favour of concurrent and discriminant validity. Consistent with previous research, teachers’ motivating styles of autonomy support and structure were related to need satisfaction, while demotivating styles of control and chaos were related to need frustration. A significant association was found between chaotic teaching styles and the dormant need state. Strong associations of chaotic teaching with both the dormant and frustrated need states are not only in line with theoretical expectations but highlight practical interventions for teachers.