How Clinical Instructor Behavior Affects Student Clinical Engagement From A Motivational Perspective

Abstract

Given the close interpersonal nature of the student-clinical instructor (CI) relationship and the unpredictable and often stressful clinical environment in which they interact with one another, it is extremely important that clinical instructors understand how their behavior directly affects their students’ motivation to engage in educationally important clinical activities. This article presents a review of the motivation literature grounded in self-determination theory with the goal of providing the reader insight into how clinical instructor psychological need-supporting/thwarting behaviors affect student clinical engagement. Specific need-supporting and need-thwarting behaviors are identified and discussed in terms of how they impact students’ needs for autonomy, competency and relatedness. Recent research has revealed a strong connection between overall CI need-supporting/thwarting behavior and student clinical engagement. The author hopes to bring further awareness of the powerful psychological impact clinical instructors have on their students and to draw attention to the need for routine in-service programs specifically designed to teach CIs how to effectively employ psychological need-supporting behaviors and avoid psychological need-thwarting behaviors when working with their students.