Feeling well at school is crucial for both young people’s healthy self-development and their intrinsic learning motivation. Both concepts, subjective well-being and intrinsic motivation, are central to self-determination theory, but their reciprocal relationship is not studied very well. We hypothesized that the concepts affect each other directly: Students who are intrinsically motivated feel well at school due to positive emotions and the strive for understanding the learning content, which is an intrinsic motivation immanent. Beyond, students who feel well at school are intrinsically motivated, because subjective well-being represents an intrinsic value of the learning situation. This hypothesis is tested using a sample of 773 secondary school students (mean age: 12.7 years, SD = 1.8), who were answering questionnaires at the beginning (T1), at mid (T2) and at the end (T3) of a school year. The data were analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model. The results gave evidence on cross-lagged effects and an indirect effect from subjective well-being to intrinsic motivation to subjective well-being.

Background : Starting a study programme at an university, students are confronted with rising requirements regulating their learning processes and motivation. Both difficulties due to this regulation and the quality of instruction are associated with students dropping out from a study programme in the research. Aims : The purpose of this research is to analyse the interplay and effect of difficulties in self‐regulated learning, achievement motivation (i.e. academic self‐concept, subject interest), and perceived quality of instruction in dropping out from an university study programme. Sample : We sampled 2301 cooperative students in their first academic year. The average age was M = 22.12 ( SD = 3.02), and 1167 were male (50.7%). Method : This cross‐sectional study used structural equation models for hypothesis analysis. Three years after the survey, dropout information from the university administration was matched to the survey data. Results : The results indicate associations between academic self‐concept, subject interest and difficulties in regulating one's motivation with dropout. An indirect effect was found between perceived quality of instruction and dropout via academic self‐concept, subject interest and difficulties in regulating one's motivation. Conclusions : The relevance of perceived quality of instruction, self‐concept, subject interest and difficulties in motivational regulation and consequences for dropout is illustrated.

Learning form errors seems to be crucial for talent development, but there is evidence that students learn little from their errors during school instruction. This work addressed the interplay of different adaptive reactions to errors (affective-motivational adaptive and action-related adaptive reactions), a positive error climate in the learning context and cognitive abilities with regard to their effect on academic achievement. A longitudinal data set with 2092 students attending 74 classes was analyzed with a two-level path modeling approach (students in classrooms). The results confirmed the assumption that affective-motivational adaptive reactions to errors encourage action-related adaptive reactions to errors which, in turn, foster academic achievement. Furthermore, analyzes indicated that the relationship between a positive error climate in the classroom and academic achievements is mediated by students’ individual reactions to errors. In contrast to expectations, students with higher cognitive abilities did not show more adaptive reactions to errors.

Beyond controversy, identifying and using the potential of digital media for teaching requires media-related skills of future teachers. The paper presents in a first step a framework for digital media-related competencies. Within this framework, different areas are identified in which teachers need media pedagogical (didactical), subject-specific and technological competencies related to the instructional design of digital media. In a second step, an educational approach to support student teachers to develop these competencies is presented. This approach is based on project learning and encompasses a media-based teaching project and a media development project. Hereby, different support structures are implemented, i.e. blended learning proposals and self-learning materials, personal support, and learning analytics. Finally, the project evaluation with formative and summative elements, which guides the iterative process of implementing the educational approach into the existing teacher education programme, is presented.