While employees actively seek out workplaces that offer meaningful work experiences, the concept of meaningful work remains notably underexplored within the turnover literature. The present study addresses this gap by examining the role of work meaningfulness among knowledge workers and its direct and indirect effects on turnover intentions and job satisfaction through the lens of self-determination theory. Our findings show significant effects on turnover intentions and job satisfaction, with work meaningfulness emerging as a stronger predictor of job satisfaction, while still contributing to reducing turnover intentions. Most extant literature focuses on sources and ways to enhance work meaningfulness. We contribute to more recent research on its relationship with its outcomes especially the link with turnover intentions, offering insight into a relationship that has produced few, but conflicting,results.

Grounded in self-determination theory, this study unveils the connection between developmental human resource (HR) practices and employee agility by examining employees’ workplace spirituality and thriving at work. Based on data collected from 428 employees, our empirical analysis has demonstrated that the relationship between developmental HR practices and employee agility is partially mediated by thriving at work. The results also indicate that employees’ workplace spirituality moderates the relationship among developmental HR practices, thriving at work, and employee agility. These findings have unveiled the underlying mechanism of the link between developmental HR practices and employee agility. This research offers fresh insights into the studies on employee agility and provides potential HR management recommendations for enhancing organizational agility in corporate strategic planning.

Private refugee sponsorship is a desirable behaviour – it leads to positive outcomes for sponsors, refugees, the Canadian government and the general public. The most commonly reported motivations to sponsor are related to identity, including moral and national identity. Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that identity is a strong intrinsic motivator; individuals who identify more strongly as a sponsor may be more intrinsically motivated to take on additional sponsorships. This proposed behavioural policy uses the components of SDT to design a certificate programme that bestows an official title on sponsors after completing a sponsorship. The certificate design reflects the three components of SDT (autonomy, competence and relatedness) and encourages moral and national incentives. Official titles are shown to increase identity with a role – titles act themselves as mechanisms of identity-building, which can lead to identity-motivated behaviours. The proposed certificate programme aligns with existing practices and resources already used by the Canadian government. It suggests that official titles could be a cost-effective mechanism for encouraging subsequent sponsorships.

Prior research on goal self-concordance (GSC) and goal attainment (GA) has studied these dimensions as transversal sections through a person’s life domains. Blending the recent developments in self-determination theory and pro-environmental behavior literature, the current study introduced the concept of non-restricted goals and explored whether work climate (WCQ) and environmental identity (EID) impact GA and, through it, in-role job performance (IRB), organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) and wellbeing, as well as organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBE). It also explored GSC along with basic psychological needs’ satisfaction (BPNS) and GA, as explanatory mechanisms. The study relied on data collected at two different moments in time, with a retained sample of 201 employees from different organizations. Results confirmed that WCQ and EID are relevant antecedents for IRB, OCB and wellbeing, as well as OCBE. Except for the direct relationship between EID and OCB/OCBE, most of these impacts were indirect, through BPNS, GSC or GA. The current study did not find a significant relationship between GSC and GA, adding to the line of mixed results regarding their relationship. The findings inform pro-environmental interventions in the workplace, as well as human resource management practices that foster employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and job performance.

Since the publication of the seminal book Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein, several critics have highlighted preference endogeneity as a serious obstacle to nudging. When individuals hold preferences that are dynamic and endogenous to the nudge frame, it is unclear what the normative benchmark for libertarian paternalistic policies should be. While acknowledging this issue, the pro-nudging camp has not yet sufficiently addressed it. This article aims to fill this void by presenting a conditional defence of nudging when preferences are endogenous. We explain the learning process through which individuals establish ‘agentic’ preferences: preferences that are sufficiently stable, reasonable, autonomous and associated with organismic well-being to ground the ‘welfare’ principle of libertarian paternalism. To describe this process, we draw on theories from psychological science, in particular self-discrepancy theory and self-determination theory. We argue that agentic preferences are not only welfare-relevant and thus appropriate to libertarian paternalism but can also be identified by choice architects.

The present study explored whether motivational constructs for diet and physical activity (PA) cluster and how these motivational constructs relate to dietary and PA behaviour. Data of 1142 participants were used from a randomised controlled trial examining the effects of a web-based diet and PA promotion intervention based on self-determination theory and motivational interviewing. Motivation was assessed using the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire and Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire. The dietary outcomes were measured using an adapted Food Frequency Questionnaire. PA was assessed using the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health. Spearman rank-order correlations showed large correlation coefficients (rs ≥ 0⋅63) between similar motivational constructs between the two lifestyle domains, except for intrinsic motivation where a medium correlation coefficient was found (rs = 0⋅41). Furthermore, the exploratory factor analysis illustrated that more self-determined forms of motivation seem to be more domain-specific. In contrast, non-self-determined forms of motivation seem to be domain-independent. Last, regression analyses demonstrated that intrinsic motivation towards PA was the only motivational construct significantly positively associated with all PA sub-behaviours (standardised regression coefficients ranging from 0⋅17 to 0⋅28, all P < 0⋅0125). Intrinsic motivation to eat healthily was significantly positively associated with fruits, vegetables and fish intake (standardised regression coefficients ranging from 0⋅11 to 0⋅16, all P < 0⋅0125), but not with unhealthy snacks. Insight of this exploratory study is useful for understanding the interrelationships of motivational induced behaviours, the development of interventions targeting multiple behaviours, and the construction of questionnaires.

The shift in learning environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a closer look at course design, faculty approaches to teaching, and student interaction, all of which may predict learner achievement and satisfaction. Transitioning to an online environment requires the reinvention, reimagining, and applying of “e-flavors” of general learning theory. With this shift to online learning comes the opportunity for misunderstandings and “myths” to occur, which may stand in the way of faculty embracing online learning and fully realizing its potential. This article seeks to address several myths and misconceptions that have arisen in higher education during the rapid shift to online teaching and learning. While not comprehensive, these myths represent a snapshot of common challenges. These are we can transfer our in-person course design to online; adult learners do not need an empathetic approach; and online teaching and learning is socially isolating. Through an appreciative inquiry framework, we present each myth in the context of relevant literature and invite faculty with varied online teaching experience to share their own case studies that illustrate how they have “busted” these myths with the goal to identify existing examples of locally effective practices for the express purpose of replication that leads to positive change.

Bullying continuously attracts the interest of school communities, government policy makers and researchers. The present study enquires into the role of basic psychological needs in perpetrating and victimisation behaviour of children and youth in the social contexts of school and family in a cross-sectional research design. Specifically, this study focuses on the direct effects that basic psychological needs might have on bullying behaviour and bullying victimisation. It was found that basic psychological needs, forged in the relationships with family and school members, could predict bullying victimisation in each social context. Bullying perpetrations could be predicted only by bullying victimisation stemming from each social context, whereas bullying behaviours in school could also be directly predicted by the basic psychological needs developed in the family. Furthermore, path models verified the multiple influences of family functioning on school relationships. Findings of the present study may contribute to designing effective school interventions and to reforming antibullying guidelines for teachers and parents with respect to the basic psychological needs of the children or adolescents who have been victimised.

Primary schools contribute to promoting healthy eating behaviour and preventing overweight and obesity by providing nutrition education. Research highlights the importance of improving teachers’ programme implementation to enhance intervention effectiveness. An integrative approach has been suggested to reduce time barriers that teachers currently experience in teaching nutrition. This scoping review explores use and effectiveness of integrative teaching in primary-school-based nutrition education programmes. Six databases were searched for primary-school-based interventions on nutrition education. Papers reporting on integration of nutrition topics within core curriculum were included. Abstracts and full texts of potentially relevant articles were screened to determine eligibility. Next, data were extracted and tabulated. Findings were collated and summarised to describe intervention characteristics, subject integration and effectiveness of the included programmes. Data describing integration of nutrition into the primary school curriculum were extracted from 39 eligible papers. Nutrition education programmes often involve lessons about food groups and are frequently embedded within the mathematics, science or literacy syllabus. Although articles report on the integration of nutrition, the use of this approach was not commonly described in detail. Only seven papers discussed student outcomes related to the integration of nutrition education within core subjects. The ability to draw strong conclusions about school-based nutrition intervention effectiveness is limited by the current lack of programme description and methodological issues. Hence, more research is warranted to inform evidence on effectiveness of integrative nutrition education for both teacher and student outcomes. Future studies that include greater detail regarding the integrative approach are needed.

Music teachers enjoy carrying out teaching tasks; indeed, such pleasure may be perceived even when authoritarian pedagogical methods are applied. In this study, we will explore music teacher motivation in classroom settings, collecting data from three educators through psychological scales, lesson observations and personal interviews. Results indicate that teacher motivation in classroom settings is affected by five internal and five external factors. Therefore, the study allows concluding that teacher motivation is also satisfied or thwarted by ideas that school members have about music education. Some practical implications are suggested.