Analyzing the Commitment of College Students Using a Brief, Contextualized Measure of Need Satisfaction From the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory

This study empirically confirmed the relationships between the degree to which students satisfied three basic needs (competence, relatedness, and autonomy) and the strength of their commitments to the university they attended and to obtaining a baccalaureate degree. A questionnaire was administered online to 1257 students at two 4-year universities. Regression analysis yielded statistically significant associations between the three needs and Institutional Commitment and Degree Commitment, explaining more than 20% of the variance in the latter two variables.