Self-Determination Theory and Flow Theory propose that perceived autonomy fosters the positive qualities of motivation and flow-experience. Autonomy-support can help to maintain students’ motivation in very interesting learning activities and may lead to an increase in the positive qualities of motivation in less interesting learning activities. This paper investigates whether autonomy-supportive or controlling teaching behaviour influence students’ motivation and flow-experience in biology class. In study 1, 158 students of grade six worked on the adaptations of Harvest Mice (Micromys minutus) with living animals. The 153 sixth graders of study 2 dealt with the same content but instead worked with short films on laptops. Previous studies have shown that students perceive film sequences as less interesting than working with living animals. Students’ intrinsic motivation and flow-experience were measured at the end of the first and the third lesson. In study 1, autonomy-supportive teaching behaviour led to significant differences in students’ intrinsic motivation and flow-experience when compared to controlling teaching behaviour. In study 2, motivation and flow-experience were not always in line with theory. The positive effects of autonomy-supportive and the non-beneficial effects of the controlling teaching behaviour seem to be dependent on the interestingness of the teaching material.

Für die Bereitschaft von Schülerinnen und Schülern, Hausaufgaben zu erledigen, wird ein positives Lernklima als bedeutender Einflussfaktor angenommen. Das Autonomieempfinden der Schülerinnen und Schüler stellt ein wesentliches Merkmal des Lernklimas im Unterricht dar. In der vorliegenden Pilotstudie interessierte, wie sich wahrgenommene Autonomie der Schülerinnen und Schüler im Biologieunterricht und das Geschlecht der Schülerinnen und Schüler auf die Entscheidung zur Erledigung einer freiwilligen Hausaufgabe auswirken. Zudem wurde der Einfluss einer erledigten Hausaufgabe sowie der Autonomiewahrnehmung auf den Wissenszuwachs der Schülerinnen und Schüler untersucht. 157 Schülerinnen und Schüler (10.4 ± 0.4 Jahre) nahmen an einer Unterrichtseinheit zum Thema Angepasstheiten von Tieren an abiotische Faktoren teil. Am Ende der Unterrichtseinheit wurde die Möglichkeit zur Erledigung einer freiwilligen Hausaufgabe gegeben. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen Zusammenhänge zwischen wahrgenommener Autonomie im Unterricht, dem Geschlecht der Schülerinnen und Schüler und der Erledigung dieser Hausaufgabe. Wurde die freiwillige Hausaufgabe bearbeitet, zeigten diese Lerner unabhängig von ihrer wahrgenommenen Autonomie einen signifikant größeren Wissenszuwachs als die Schülerinnen und Schüler ohne fertiggestellte Hausaufgabe.

Experimentation is a complex problem-solving process. In biology lessons, experiments involve creative thinking and open discovery; however, they still require some degree of instructional guidance. The right balance between discovery learning and instructional guidance depends substantially on students’ prior knowledge. Students with low prior knowledge in particular might have difficulties with conducting and understanding experiments. Incremental scaffolds might be a valuable tool to meditate between pure discovery and strong guidance while simultaneously taking learners’ individual knowledge and skills into account. In the current study, we examined the effects of incremental scaffolds (IncSc), no scaffolds (NoSc), and worked-out examples (WoEx) on students’ knowledge acquisition while doing inquiry-based experimentation with a special focus on students with low prior knowledge. In a pre-posttest design, 193 students (M_age= 13.02 ± 0.81 years) participated in a four-hour teaching unit on animals’ overwintering strategies. In the pre- and posttest, we assessed the students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge. Our results partially confirmed our hypotheses: Regarding the conceptual and procedural knowledge of all students, incremental scaffolds showed no additional benefit regarding students’ knowledge in the posttest when compared to working with no scaffolds or worked-out examples. For the students with low prior knowledge, working with incremental scaffolds led to higher conceptual and procedural knowledge after the teaching unit than working with worked-out examples.

As biology education is obliged to enable students to acquire scientific literacy, long-lasting and sustainable learning is required. According to self-determination theory, such learning is based on self-determined motivation. Therefore, motivating students is a key issue of biology teaching. The present study investigated whether students’ quality of motivation depends on the extent to which their basic needs are satisfied. Initial studies confirmed a positive impact on biology learning in terms of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, these studies (1) do not consider all three basic needs, (2) nor do they distinguish between all motivational regulation styles separately. A more fine-grained investigation is required. Thus, a cross-sectional study with 738 students was conducted. Structural analyses showed differing effects of the students’ perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness on their motivational regulation. The perception of autonomy and competence were important predictors of intrinsic and identified regulation. However, while intrinsic regulation required mainly the perception of autonomy, identified regulation depended mainly on competence. Perceived relatedness had no predictive power. When it came to controlled regulations, only the perceived relatedness was a negative predictor of students’ introjected regulation. Regarding external regulation, neither perceived autonomy and competence nor relatedness were negative predictors.