Numerous studies focus on the role of social support in buffering stress [1] and improving mental health [2]. The thriving through relationships model suggests that researchers should pay more attention to the role of social support in promoting psychological growth and development [3]. Furthermore, many studies have confirmed the association between organizational support and work engagement [4]. However, insufficient attention has been paid to college students’ engagement with school (student engagement hereafter) and its relationship with their perceived social support. As academic engagement is crucial for school success [5], further research on this matter is needed.
According to self-determination theory and basic psychological needs theory, the interaction between the individual and environment is an essential factor in individuals’ development, especially given that when the external environment meets their basic psychological needs, their well-being and growth can improve [6]. Thus, perceived social support and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs may influence student engagement. However, the relationships among perceived social support, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and student engagement remain unclear, as do the underlying mechanisms. In addition, a grateful disposition, a personality trait emphasized in Chinese culture [7], influences the interpretation and use of support received from others [8]. Specifically, higher levels of gratitude may lead to a more compassionate view of the support received from others and a better use of resources to meet one’s inner psychological needs. Therefore, whether different grateful disposition levels influence the effect path between perceived social support and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs remains unknown.
This study aimed to answer the following questions: (1) Does perceived social support strengthen student engagement? (2) Does perceived social support, as a resource in a social situation, improve student engagement by satisfying basic psychological needs? (3) If the relationship between perceived social support and student engagement is mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, does a grateful disposition have a robust effect on the perceived social support–satisfaction of basic psychological needs relationship? In other words, does a grateful disposition play a moderating role in the first effect path?
Relationship between perceived social support and student engagement
Student engagement is the extent of a student’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral involvement in academic endeavors [9] and is a critical factor in school success [10]. Therefore, a clear understanding of the factors influencing student engagement is necessary to promote students’ academic success. In previous research, student engagement has been viewed as a self-regulated process [11]. Therefore, studies have focused on the separate effects of the various internal factors influencing student engagement. However, social support, defined as the perception or experience of others’ care and esteem [12], may influence student engagement [13]. According to the buffer effect of social support [14], social support acts as a buffer against the stress caused by adversity.
However, managing stress and maintaining a mentally healthy state is the explicit goal of only a minority, with most students striving to attain all-around better development, such as well-being in life and engagement in their studies. Hence, how do students who are not under stress respond when they perceive that they have access to social support? Two models, namely, the main effect of social support and thriving through relationships models [3], suggest that social support facilitates a general sense of well-being in life and promotes success in work and study. Hence, it is necessary to focus on the thriving effect of social support. Furthermore, Numerous studies have confirmed the role of social support in promoting well-being [15]; this implies that perceived social support may also strengthen student engagement.
Mediating role of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs
Self-determination theory is a macro theory of human motivation and personality [16]. It assumes that people are active organisms with a tendency to self-integration and self-improvement. However, this tendency does not occur naturally; it is achieved through the support of the external environment. Basic psychological needs theory, which is a sub-theory of self-determination theory, states that individuals have three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness [17]. The need for autonomy refers to the sense of control and psychological freedom that an individual feels over their own behavior. Competency needs refer to an individual’s belief that one’s learning behaviors or actions can reach a certain level and that these are competent for the activity. Relatedness needs refer to what an individual feels is necessary for developing good relationships and accessing the others’ support [18]. These three basic psychological needs are important resources for individual adaptation and even prosperity [19]. When they are satisfied, the internal motivation of individuals is stimulated and they show stronger initiative, enthusiasm, and persistence at work and in their study [20, 21].
Research in the field of work has found that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is significantly positively correlated with work engagement [22], and that students and employees share common characteristics [23]. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the satisfaction of students’ basic psychological needs can also positively predict their learning engagement. Abundant studies have confirmed the positive association between the satisfaction of autonomy needs [24], competency needs [25], relatedness needs [26], and engagement. To sum up, it can be inferred that the satisfaction of students’ basic psychological needs can positively predict their learning engagement.
As the job-demand model suggests [27], when individuals perceive organizational support, they view it as a resource for satisfying their needs to achieve better development. If their basic psychological needs are not met by the organization, individuals feel frustrated and experience burnout. The theory of basic psychological needs states that autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs are met through the social environment. When individuals are supported by the external environment, they regard this support as a resource to meet their needs. Studies have found that when teachers [28] and families [29] support students’ learning and development, students have more resources to challenge higher goals, allowing them to meet their competence needs. Social support, especially perceived social support, does not interfere with the freedom and autonomy of students, thus also meeting their autonomy needs. Relationship motivation theory states that the satisfaction of competency and autonomy needs can satisfy relatedness needs [30]. Therefore, the higher perceived social support, the higher is the satisfaction of students’ basic psychological needs (autonomous needs, competency needs, relatedness needs), and this satisfaction can then promote student engagement. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs plays a mediating role between perceived social support and student engagement.
Moderating role of a grateful disposition
Various studies have confirmed the contribution of social support to health and well-being. However, some researchers have found that the effects of social support may be ambiguous and even lead to adverse consequences [31]. Further analysis reveals that the quantity, type, and pattern of social support provided may limit its benefits [32]. Nonetheless, few studies consider its effects on the recipient’s personality.
Gratitude has been taken as state gratitude or trait gratitude in previous research. The former, as an affective state, refers to the emotional experience of receiving kindness from others, while the latter is regarded as a personality trait [33], defined as the individual differences in the frequency and intensity of gratitude and tendency to respond to events with a grateful emotion [34]. A grateful disposition is a central moral trait in the Chinese culture [35]. Its importance is emphasized in many social contexts such as school, family, and community. When college students perceive or receive social support from institutions, school staff, and family members, they can in turn increase their academic engagement and performance, and this response is often expected by parents and teachers. However, not everyone receiving support from others can use such resources fully, indicating that different individuals perceive or use social support differently.
Further, levels of gratitude vary among individuals. The social-cognitive model of gratitude states that the level of gratitude affects the perception and understanding of the environment [8], and researchers have shown that the interpretation of the giver’s motivation may diminish or enhance the benefits of support [36]. Individuals with high disposition toward gratitude are more likely to feel grateful and have a more open, kind, and positive attitude toward social support [37]. Coping theory [38] further holds that individuals with a high grateful disposition are better at using resources to meet their psychological needs. By contrast, individuals with low gratitude traits tend to take social support for granted, despise the contributions of others, and even distort the goodwill of social support, resulting in defense and rejection (Lin 2016). Therefore, they do not make full use of social support.
Kashdan et al. found that the key factor behind gratitude is the awareness of various good deeds, which can raise people’s self-confidence and sense of autonomy [39]. Broadens and builds theory [40] holds that gratitude can help individuals develop better close friendships (satisfying relatedness needs) and makes it is easier for people to see support from others as caring, loving, respectful, and delivered in good faith rather than because of interference; hence, people high in gratitude can use support from others fully, thereby satisfying their autonomy and competence needs. Relationship motivation theory [30] states that only after autonomy and competence needs have been met can true intimacy be established, thereby satisfying relatedness needs. Meanwhile, individuals with high gratitude traits seem to be better at using social support to meet their basic psychological needs than are those with low gratitude traits. In conclusion, this study hypothesizes that a grateful disposition plays an important moderating role on the relation between perceived social support and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.
Present study
Previous research has emphasized the protective role of social support in individuals’ ability to cope with stress. However, few studies have focused on the role of perceived social support in strengthening student engagement. Further, many studies examine the relationship between organizational support and workplace engagement. Moreover, few researchers have investigated the association between social support and student engagement. Thus, this study examines the association between perceived social support and student engagement based on basic psychological needs theory and the thriving through relationships model. It is proposed that perceived social support promotes student engagement directly and facilitates student engagement by increasing the satisfaction of basic psychological needs indirectly. In addition, a grateful disposition strengthens the association between perceived social support and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Figure 1 illustrates the proposed mediated moderation model.