Need satisfaction profiles during the transition to secondary school and its implications in later education

This longitudinal study examined student profiles of psychological needs satisfaction before and after their transition to secondary school and their role in predicting academic motivation, adjustment, achievement, and intentions to continue in secondary school. In a sample of 639 adolescents, profiles of psychological needs satisfaction (relatedness, competence, autonomy) were identified in Grade 6 and in Secondary 1. Results of latent profile and latent transition analyses revealed four distinct profiles, which were identical in characteristics and prevalence across the school transition: Globally High, Reduced Competence, Reduced Autonomy, and Low Satisfaction. The Low Satisfaction profile consistently predicted poorer outcomes while the most positive ones were linked to the Globally High profile, and sometimes to the Reduced Autonomy profile. Results suggest that decreases in psychological needs satisfaction across the transition to secondary school are less prevalent than previous research suggested, and that students show resilience to reduced satisfaction in some needs.