Students’ approach to learning and their intrinsic motivation to know – the moderating role of psychological needs

Abstract Students’ approach to learning is associated with complex academic competencies, engagement, or achievement and is shaped by their intrinsic motivation to know, supported by the need for competence and autonomy satisfaction. The present study investigated the impact of intrinsic motivation to know on students’ approach to learning (i.e., deep or surface) and whether the satisfaction of competence and autonomy needs moderates the relationships between intrinsic motivation to know and students’ approach to learning. Three hundred and fourteen Romanian university students filled out three self-reported questionnaires. Findings showed that students with a high intrinsic motivation to know and a need for autonomy satisfaction probably use a deep learning approach more often. In contrast, those with a high need for competence satisfaction adopt, to a lesser extent, a surface approach to learning. These results help teachers pay more attention to motivational practices that support students’ learning processes.