| The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if self-determination theory
(SDT), the human needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Basic Psychological Needs), provides a theoretical explanation of professional staff work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption – Levels of Work Engagement) in public higher education institutions in Idaho. The participants selected were the understudied support and professional staff at four four-year public higher education institutions and four two-year community colleges in Idaho. Previous limited research with higher education professional staff has shown that interacting with students, connectedness to the organization, and professional development were significant factors in job satisfaction.
The instruments for the study consisted of the combination of two instruments geared specifically to measure employee levels of work engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction at work scale, and demographic questions to determine respondents’ perceptions at work. The research questions which guided this study were: (1), what is the relationship between self-determination theory and employee engagement for professional staff? (2), to what extent are professional staff with supervisory responsibilities engaged compared to professional staff with no supervisory responsibilities? (3), to what extent do supervisors vs. non-supervisors report needs psychological needs fulfillment? And (4), do two-year professional employees perceive need fulfillment and engagement differently than four-year professional staff?
The results of this study indicated that perceptions of professional staff in public higher education of Basic Psychological Needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) are strongly correlated to their Level of Work Engagement (vigor, absorption, and dedication), which supports other studies showing SDT as a strong influence of work satisfaction and work engagement. Respondents who perceived higher levels of autonomy perceived significant higher levels of vigor and dedication. Results showed that respondents perceptions of autonomy and relatedness were a poor predictor of levels of absorption, yet competence influenced all three dependent variables of vigor, dedication, and absorption. The perception of absorption appears to be influenced by the perception of individual competence and having positive relationships
(relatedness) and perceiving autonomy in the workplace appear to influence dedication and vigor with Idaho public higher education professional staff respondents.
Key Words: Self-Determination Theory, Work Engagement, Employee Engagement, Idaho Public Higher Education institutions, Higher Education Staff, Utrecht Work engagement Scale (Levels of Work Engagement), Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction |