Basic Psychological Needs and Psychological Capital as Predictors of Academic Engagement in Students

Abstract

The aim was to analyze the ability of basic psychological needs and psychological capital to predict academic engagement in secondary school students through a longitudinal study. The sample consisted of adolescents of Entre Ríos, Argentina. Self-reports were used Path analysis was conducted to assess the relationships among basic psychological needs (time 1), psychological capital (time 2), and academic engagement (time 3). The results indicated that basic psychological needs predict psychological capital and that psychological capital predicts engagement. While no direct effect of psychological needs on engagement was found, there is an indirect influence that is mediated by psychological capital.