Exploring Instructional Strategies Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory: Supporting Student Motivation in Online College Courses

This qualitative study explored how instructors in four online college courses employed instructional strategies to support student motivation and how students enrolled in these courses perceived and responded to those strategies. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017), the study examined how autonomy, competence, and relatedness were supported or thwarted in online higher education learning environments. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with four instructors and thirteen students at a university in the northeastern United States. Thematic analysis revealed that motivation in online college courses is not a singular or static phenomenon, but a dynamic, reciprocal process shaped by the interaction of instructional strategies, student characteristics, instructor beliefs, and institutional context. While instructor presence, structured autonomy, and competence-supportive feedback were perceived as motivational, the study also uncovered divergences between intended strategies and student experiences. These findings extend SDT by illustrating that effective motivational support is contextual, complex, and shaped by mutual influences between students and instructors. Institutional constraints and differing beliefs about motivation further shaped strategy implementation. This study underscores the importance of reflective teaching practice and flexible course design and calls for future research that centers cultural context, evolving student needs, and the ideological stances of instructors.