A Structural Model of the Relationship between Basic psychological Needs, Academic Motivation and English Academic Engagement

This research was conducted to study the relationship among basic psychological needs, academic motivation and student's academic engagement (in English language) in Structural Equation Modeling method. Using stratified sampling, 423 (127 males and 296 females) secondary and junior students were selected to participate in the study. They replied to the basic psychological needs, academic motivation and academic engagement Questionnaires. Structural equation modeling revealed that basic psychological needs satisfaction exerted a direct, significant influence upon intrinsic motivation, Identified regulation, Interjected regulation and an indirect one upon academic engagement. In addition, basic psychological needs had a negative direct influence upon amotivation, while the direct influence of related on extrinsic motivation was not significant. Intrinsic motivation, Interjected regulation and Identified regulation had a positive direct influence upon academic engagement, while the direct influence of related on amotivation was negative and significant. Additionally, the direct influence of related on extrinsic and interjected regulation was not significant. In general, findings of this study suggested basic psychological needs had influence on student's English language engagement through the meditational effects of academic motivation.