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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Teacher autonomy support

Overview

  • Influence: Teacher autonomy support
  • Domain: Student Learning Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Student-focused interventions
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to considerably accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Practices where teachers empower students to make decisions about their learning, fostering a sense of independence, competence, and motivation in their work.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 4
  • Number of studies: 326
  • Number of students: 314,956
  • Number of effects: 470
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.60
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Slemp, Field, Ryan, Forner, van der Broack, & Lewis Interpersonal supports for basic psychological needs and their relations with motivation, well-being, and performance: A meta-analysis. 2024 Autonomy & interpersonal support on achievement 109 96,963 109 0.39
Contemporary Educational Psychology Mammadov & Schroeder A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relationships Between Autonomy Support and Positive Learning Outcomes.  2023 Teacher autonomy support 153 213,612 297 0.75
Psychological development and Education Wang & Zhao A meta-analysis of the relationship between teacher autonomy support and students' academic achievement: The mediating role of psychological needs, satisfaction, motivation and engagement. 2022 Teacher autonomy support 13 4,381 13 0.63
Conference paper Su & Reeve Students' Educational Benefits From Teacher-Provided Autonomy Support: A Meta-Analysis. 2010 Intrinsic autonomy motivation 51 NA 51 0.62
TOTAL/AVERAGE 326 314,956 470 0.60
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