Learning Context and Undergraduate Students’ Needs for Autonomy and Competence, Achievement Motivation and Personal Growth Initiative

This study aims to identify the learning context (public vs. private university, regular vs. distance programs, year of study) differences and relations between undergraduate university students’ needs for autonomy and competence, achievement motivation and personal growth initiative. The participants in this study were 400 undergraduate university students, from two universities in Bucharest, Romania (a public and a private one), aged 19 to 40 (M = 24.48, SD = 5.926). Data were collected with 3 self-report scales. The research results contribute to the development of an empirical database for a better understanding of nowadays university student populations.